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 The
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.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP Executive Director, said today: "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."
"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 said.
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," said Ibrahim Thiaw, Director of UNEP's Division of
Environmental Policy Implementation, who on 4 August last year presented the
UNEP report to the government.
Nick Nuttall,
Acting Director/Spokesperson
UNEP's Division of Communications and Public Information
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