Ogoni cleanup: Reps demand more funds for HYPREP

The House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities has urged for additional funding for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to finish the ongoing Ogoni cleanup initiative. Committee chairman, Dumnamene Dekor, disclosed this after a two-day inspection of HYPREP project sites in Ogoniland, Rivers State. He stated that the original funding provided was insufficient and more finances are required for project sustainability.

Dekor further called on those responsible for fund provision to step up their contributions, emphasizing that the polluters should also contribute towards the cleanup. The committee is also set to introduce a bill that would extend the cleanup exercise to other oil-polluted communities in the Niger Delta. HYPREP's Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, revealed that the agency has established over 120 project sites, encompassing environmental remediation, shoreline cleanup, provision of potable water, hospital strengthening, job creation, and skills training for youths and women.

The committee's visit aimed to give them a firsthand look at the projects and enable recommendations for improvement.