•••Says Tinubu Committed To Projects Completion
Tom Zaneni, Abuja
The Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas, has inaugurated potable water facilities at Bomu and Kporghor communities in the Gokana and Tai Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
Abbas, who performed the inauguration as part of his official working visit to Ogoniland, assured the people that President Bola Tinubu was committed to completing all ongoing projects in the area in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda.
He urged the youth and women of the benefiting communities to own the potable water facilities and guard them against vandalism.
The minister, who was accompanied by his Niger Delta Affairs counterpart, Abubakar Momoh, told the people that they were the real beneficiaries of the project and should ensure optimal usage of the new facilities.
His remarks were contained in a statement signed by the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations Unit, Ibrahim Haruna.
Abbas said the water facilities are part of the Hydro-Carbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), adding that their completion marked a significant step towards environmental restoration and sustainable development in the Niger Delta region.
He observed that clean, accessible and potable water is a fundamental human right and essential for public health and economic development, especially in the Ogoniland that had suffered contamination of water due to the oil spillage in the area.
Abbas noted that beyond providing clean and potable water, “HYPREP is dedicated to soil and groundwater remediation, health intervention programmes, and livelihood restoration for the affected communities.”
He said, “The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda remains committed to environmental remediation and sustainable development in Ogoniland, actively engaging with local communities and incorporating their feedback.”
The national Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, stated that the commissioning of the Bomu and Kporghor water facilities marked another milestone in the collective journey toward successfully implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland.
“Access to clean and safe water, as you know, is a fundamental human right, and today, we witness, once again, the fulfillment of this promise to the hydrocarbon-impacted communities in Ogoniland.
“Communities must continue to protect these facilities for common use”, he said.
Zabbey stressed that in addition to milestones in providing potable water to impacted communities as
recommended in the UNEP Report, other project areas had recorded significant progress.
According to him, land and shoreline remediation efforts had witnessed remarkable advancements, with several contaminated sites being rehabilitated across Ogoniland and the strengthening of healthcare facilities across the four local government areas of Ogoniland.
He added that the training of 5000 Ogoni youths and women in 20 skills areas was nearing completion.
The HYPREP coordinator said the Minister had graciously approved the provision skill-specific starter-packs to trainees.
“Twenty-nine (29) Ogoni youths have also been trained in cabin crew. We have also carried out a range of capacity-building workshops, including the Procurement and Business Strategy Workshop, the
Career Enhancement and Employability Workshop, and the Business Proposal Development Workshop. We plan to hold the Civic Education and Constructive
Engagement Workshop for Ogoni youths”, Zabbey said.
