Awuzie Favour, porharcout
As the Ogoni cleanup marks its 10th anniversary, the Project Coordinator of the Hydrocabon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, Professor Nenibari Zabbey has called on young Ogoni people to guard the progress made as environmental recovery is underway and better job creation.
Speaking at a quarterly youth engagement organised by HYPREP in Port Harcourt, Professor Zabbey said the gathering carried special weight.
“We are holding it as we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Ogoni Cleanup. Today, we bring a clear message of peace and sustainable development.”
He stressed that restoration cannot succeed without peace, and development cannot last without a healthy environment.
According to him, HYPREP’s work on shoreline and groundwater cleanup, mangrove restoration, potable water schemes, public health programmes, the Ogoni Power Project, the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, a 43-bed cottage hospital, and the near-complete Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration are all aimed at one outcome: a clean, peaceful and prosperous Ogoniland where every stakeholder’s interest is protected.
According to him, Youths in Ogoni communities are already seeing concrete gains as more than 2,400 young people have acquired high-demand skills at training centres.
Professor Zabbey said another 1,432 community workers were recently engaged on shoreline cleanup and mangrove sites with direct jobs created for Ogoni youth now exceeding 8,500.
He noted that women make up 45 per cent of community workers, and 300 persons with special needs have just completed training while the postgraduate scholarship grants have been approved by the Minister of Environment and will be disbursed shortly.
“Biodiversity is rebounding. Aquatic species, including finned fish and shellfish, are returning to restored creeks. Mangroves planted three years ago now tower above head height and are producing propagules that help recharge the ecosystem. Fish-stock assessments show new species, including the African jack (kukuli), a predator whose presence signals recovering smaller fish populations. The Ogoni mangrove wetlands have been declared a wetland of international importance.”
Zabbey acknowledged challenges, including flooding that has slowed some works, but insisted progress is measurable and verifiable.
“Every sign of biodiversity recovery gives us hope that the work we are doing today will leave a healthier environment for generations yet to come.”
He urged the youths to remain steadfast.
“The future of Ogoni cannot be secured through conflict and division. Our responsibility as young people is to protect the future of our communities by pursuing peace, staying united, and choosing dialogue.”
Engr. Ehioze Igbinomwanhia, Project Support Lead and Joint Venture Representative for Renaissance Africa Energy Company while expressing satisfaction with the work done so far said Renaissance is proud of HYPREP’s impact.
“I have looked at the work that HYPREP has done. I have been to the specialist hospital, the cottage hospital, the centre in Weke. I have looked at the power projects. Those are good quality projects.”
He highlighted water schemes delivering more than 15 million litres of capacity across Ogoniland, a scale he said is rare for any single community group in Nigeria.
“Life is returning back to Ogoniland. We are happy to be part of that journey.”
Igbinomwanhia appealed directly to the youth: “HYPREP is our hope. Even if me and my brother are fighting, we will never join a stranger to hold our father’s house. We will protect our hope.”
Both speakers called on participants to listen to the detailed progress update that followed, ask hard questions, and own the process.
The project, they insisted, belongs to the Ogoni people and its success will be measured by the lives it improves for this generation and the next.