FG moves to implement UNEP report on Ogoniland

Federal Government has approved measures aimed at fast-tracking the long delayed implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, report on the environmental restoration of Ogoniland. The actions were approved by President Muhammadu Buhari based on several recommendations to him by Executive Director of UNEP, the UNEP Special Representative for Ogoniland, Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministries of Environment and Petroleum Resources, and other stakeholders. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the recommendations included amendment of the official gazette establishing the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project, HYPREP, to reflect a new governance framework comprising a Governing Council, a Board of Trustees and Project Management. Accordingly, the president has approved that the HYPREP Governing Council be composed with one representative each from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Federal Ministry of Environment, Impacted States (Rivers) as well as four representatives from oil companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, respectively. Others are two representatives from Ogoniland, one from the United Nations System and a secretariat to be headed by a project manager. He also approved the composition of a Board of Trustees for HYPREP Trust Fund. Adesina said following a meeting on the directive of the president, it was also agreed “that a contribution deposit of $10 million will be made by stakeholders within 30 days of the appointment of members of the Board of Trustees for the Trust Fund, which will be responsible for collecting and managing funds from contributors and donors.”