Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its Joint Venture Partners have disbursed $360 million to the Ogoniland Clean-Up project following recommendations made by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Joint Venture (JV) Partners are Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Total Exploration and Production of Nigeria (TEPNG) and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
In a statement signed by its Acting spokesman, Mr Samson Makoji, in Abuja on Monday, the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mr Mele Kyari, said during a presentation to the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Habitat at the National Assembly, where he was represented by the NNPC Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, Mr Roland Ewubare, that the NNPC and its JV partners were up to date in their financial remittance to the clean-up project fund based on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) framework.
“Ogoni clean-up is a massive issue and NNPC and its JV partners are ready to fund the project as prescribed by the UNEP Report.
”We have so far disbursed $360million out of the 900million dollars recommended.
“The disbursement was based on the standards set, which required that we release funds based on the implementation parameters of the clean-up exercise,” Mr Kyari said.
He further clarified that NNPC and its JV partners were not solely responsible for the implementation of the clean-up, and urged all other stakeholders to come together to ensure that the project was carried out successfully.
Mr Kyari added that the implementation of the clean-up was very important as the exercise would enable the restoration of land, water and the economic well-being of the people in the area.
He also warned about the misinformation about the Ogoniland clean-up and urged the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to ensure that the narrative was corrected for the effective implementation of the project.
A member of the House Committee, who was a former Minister of Environment, Mrs Aishatu Jibrin Dukku, applauded the NNPC and its JV partners for their commitment to the Ogoni clean-up project
She urged all other stakeholders to join hands with HYPREP to ensure the successful clean-up of the area.
Also, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Habitat, Mr Johnson Oghuma, expressed commitment of the current leadership to ensure full implementation of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland for the common good of the people of the area.
