Review power project in Ogoniland, stakeholders urge FG

By Sira Numbara

Key stakeholders in Ogoniland have called for the review of the Ogoni Power Project.

The stakeholders made the call during a Project Review Meeting with key sons and daughters of Ogoni, organised by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Port Harcourt.

They said that the project should be made an off-grid power generation and distribution project, since Ogoniland is rich with natural gas.

The stakeholders also urged the federal government to turn the ongoing construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Remediation, into an Ogoni University of Environment.

“We also want a reduction in government bureaucracy to enable HYPREP to fast-track the UNEP Report implementation in Ogoniland.”

Speaking,+ at the event, the Paramount Ruler of Ancient Barako Community, H.R.H Kadilo Kabari, said Ogoni is highly endowed with natural gas, hence the gas in Ogoniland should be harnessed for electricity generation, for the overall benefit of the people.

Kabari kicked against the incessant changing of HYPREP Project Coordinator by the Federal Government, as stakeholders had already passed a vote of confidence on Prof. Nenibarini Abbey.

He urged the government to allow Abbey to drive the project.

“Ogoni leaders are asking for a review of the Ogoni power project.

“Funds for the power project should be channeled to setting up gas turbines for power generation, transmission and distribution within Ogoniland, just like Aba Power.

“Ogoni is rich in gas deposits; Ogoni gas should be harnessed to generate electricity for Ogoniland and not the planned transmission and distribution project,” he said.

Also speaking, a former President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Legborsi Pyagbara, urged HYPREP to make public the Environmental Impact Assessment of all its projects, for public scrutiny.

Pyagbara also called for the conduct if a health study on the impact of crude oil on Ogoni people.

“There is an urgent need for a health study to ascertain the impact of crude oil on Ogoni people as obtainable in other parts of the world.

“This health study was supposed to precede the clean-up project. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the power project and other projects by HYPREP should be made public, so that we can interrogate it for sustainability.”

Similarly, a former Commissioner for Environment in Rivers State, Prof. Roselyn Koinya, demanded for the education of Ogoni women.

Koinya urged the government to give scholarships, contract and empowerment to the women, noting that it takes women to build any society.

The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Abbey, on his part assured that the Federal Government remains committed to accelerating the implementation of the recommendations of the UNEP Assessment Report on Ogoniland.

This, he said was one of the deliverables of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Zabbey revealed that the Project Review Meeting was imperative to update the Ogoni people on work progress, discuss the successes and critically evaluate the areas which need to be improved since it was a platform for dialogue.

“Over the past months, HYPREP has made notable strides in various facets of the project implementation process. The land and shoreline remediation project is ongoing and preliminary assessment of the complex sites has commenced.

“The pilot mangrove restoration of over 500 ha of oil-degraded mangroves is going well and last week, we launched three reports to provide technical guidance for sustainable mangrove restoration and conservation in Nigeria.

“Alongside this, the construction of the Ogoni Specialist Hospital and the Buan Cottage Hospital is underway, and we have strengthened four existing hospitals in Ogoniland with valuable equipment.

“These facilities are poised to provide state-of-the-art healthcare services. In addition to healthcare and environmental initiatives, we are making strides in infrastructure and vocational training.

“The construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration is 53 percent completed.

“The Ogoni Power Project is progressing as planned. It will connect households and businesses in Ogoni to the national electricity grid, thereby boosting local economic growth and improving quality of life,” Zabbey.

The HYPREP boss also urged the people of Ogoni to create an enabling environment for their work to go on smoothly.

He urged them to promote open communication, addressing grievances through dialogue, discouraging targeted misinformation and ensuring that community actions are guided by a collective vision of progress and sustainability.