President Bola Tinubu has approved the reconstitution of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, will serve as chairman of the reconstituted Governing Council.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.
Members of the new Governing Council include Loanyie Barituka Victor, representing environmental non-governmental organisations; Bright Onyebuchi Jacob and Henry Obiabure, representing Niger Delta communities; Prof. Barinedum Nwibere and Baride Gwezia, representing the Ogoni community; and Gideon Onyebuwa and Dr Ibikunle Omotehinse, representing the nine oil-producing states.
The President appointed four alternate members, including Dr Abraham Olungwe and Maeba Ekpobari for Ogoniland, and Joseph Akedesuo and Beauty Warejuowei for the Niger Delta.
The President also reconstituted the HYPREP Board of Trustees, with Emmanuel Deeyah reappointed as chairman. Other members include Fred Igwe and Dr Fred Kpakol for Ogoni communities and stakeholders; Mrs Dorcas Amos for other Niger Delta communities; and Chief Jide Damazio, who was reappointed to represent environmental NGOs.
What you should know
In March, HYPREP and the Belgian government reaffirmed their commitment to the Ogoni cleanup as well as tackling environmental and socio-economic challenges in the region.
This commitment was reiterated during a visit by the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, a renowned mangrove expert, Prof. Olof Linden, to HYPREP’s Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey.
The United Nations (UN) also pledged support for HYPREP in key areas.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, stated that the UN and its agencies would provide technical support for mangrove restoration, climate change mitigation, food security, access to clean water, and public health.
Fall noted that HYPREP’s work aligns with the UN’s goals of environmental protection, human rights, environmental degradation, access to clean water, public health, and peacebuilding.
In January, President Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with key stakeholders from Rivers State, including now suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, former Governor Nyesom Wike, and representatives of Ogoni leaders, to address pressing issues surrounding the Niger Delta cleanup project and escalating political tensions in the state.
The meeting was attended by key government figures, including Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and other senior officials.
