New Future for Niger Delta Communities Finally In Sight as UNEP Welcomes Nigerian Government’s Move on Ogoniland Oil clean-Up

By Eric Akasa

 The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has welcomed the Government of Nigeria’s decision to proceed with a major oil contamination clean-up of Ogoniland in the Niger Delta.
Twelve months ago UNEP presented its scientific assessment of oil pollution in Ogoniland to Nigerian President Hon. Goodluck Jonathan, underlining serious public health and environmental impacts.
The report emphasized the need for swift action to prevent the pollution footprint from spreading further and exacerbating the already tragic legacy for the Ogoni people.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, announced late last month that the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project had been established to “fully implement the United Nations Environment Programme’s Assessment Report on Ogoniland”.
The clean-up will reportedly be conducted under a new Nigerian government initiative—the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project.
The Government of Nigeria has indicated that it will now define the scope, actions and financing of the project.
The UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland had proposed an initial sum of US$1 billion to cover the first five years of clean-up operations.
While some on-the-ground results could be immediate, overall the report estimated that countering and cleaning up the pollution and catalyzing a sustainable recovery of Ogoniland could take 25 to 30 years and will require long term financing.
“On the anniversary of the Ogoniland assessment there are now clear and encouraging signals that the government is keen to move on the recommendations—this is a welcome development for the people and the environment of this region who have suffered, and continue to suffer, the legacy of some 50 years of unsustainable oil exploration and production.” Notes Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director
“UNEP stands ready to assist the government and its agencies with expertise for getting the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project up and running so as to improve the lives and livelihoods of the Ogoni people,” he adds
Over recent weeks, UNEP has held discussions with Sir Peter Idabor, the Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and is engaged with the government to chart transformative pathways forward in order to realize the assessment’s recommendations.
“The immediate need is for the necessary funds to be mobilized and to be deployed to take the Project forward at a scale and speed commensurate with the challenge. Everyone has a part to play in realizing significant and positive results from the Government of Nigeria, local authorities and the oil industry to NGOs and local communities,” remarks Ibrahim Thiaw, Director of UNEP’s Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, who on 4 August last year presented the UNEP report to the government.