Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has alleged that the federal government has converted the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to political reward.

The pan-Ogoni group described the action as fraudulent and detrimental to the cleanup of oil polluted Ogoni environment.

MOSOP made the allegation in a communique released by its Steering Committee signed by the President, Prince Birra, and made available to Journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Birra stated: “The Steering Committee condemned in strong terms seeming conversion of the agency to a mere patronage dispensing board, where politicians, high profile government functionaries, national parliamentarians and their cronies as well as HYPREP officials, their relatives and friends are fraudulently serviced to the detriment of the clean-up project.

“While not exonerating the present leadership of HYPREP, it noted with dismay that past, especially the pioneer managers of the special purpose vehicle callously and brazenly laid the defective foundation, oversaw and left behind avoidable inadequacies inherited by the current leadership, which attempts at remedy have been thorny.”

 MOSOP applauded concerned Ogoni organisations and other interested parties for the peaceful and non-violent approaches adopted in articulating their grievances, as well as pursuing resolution of the complaints against obvious upsetting failings of HYPREP.

The  body however, counselled the organisations and leaders to work as a team in the efforts at repositioning HYPREP to the path of sanity, efficiency and progress for the common good of all stakeholders.

 It warned the advocates to beware of divisive infiltrators pretending as messiahs, but sponsoring saboteurs to break and destroy the good conscience campaign.

The Ogoni group advised the management of HYPREP to listen to these voices of reason and open its doors to thorough and helpful dialogue.

 Also, it urged the controlling leadership of the agency including the supervising Federal Ministry of Environment, to resist temptations or lures against democratising the execution and management of the clean-up project to assure and effect inclusivity, transparency and accountability as essential pillars of confidence building and trust.

 MOSOP commended the social and environmental good governance crusaders for allowing room for productive discussions aimed at resolving the grievances.

The steering committee averred that the existential circumstances of the project has occasioned the importance Ogoni attaches to the exercise.

 It, however, regretted that for over six years of the existence of  HYPREP, it has unabatedly suffered the suffocating Nigerian factor oiled by unhealthy politicization and corrupt pursuits, which has overwhelmed the essence of its establishment.

It said: “Hence, it has been unable to provide the needed environmental and social succour to the people, especially the emergency actions or meet its own targets to this day. We are aware of situations where HYPREP officials that fought against the trend had been labelled rebellious and denied necessary approvals just to squeeze them to submission. It, thus, warned all those involved to stop forthwith.”

MOSOP also insisted that neither HYPREP nor the Federal Government that is the highest beneficiary of the joint venture arrangements nor the oil industry represented by Shell is doing Ogoni any favour.

It contended that the undeserving degrading and debilitating Ogoni circumstances were inflicted on the community by government and the oil industry in an infamous slick alliance. The meeting maintained that international law relating to remedy provides that “if you damage, you must repair.”

 MOSOP also expressed concern at the disappointing approach of the federal government to issues concerning Ogoni, especially the deplorable state of the Ogoni section of the East/West road.

It advised the federal government to immediately commence work on the terrible section of the infrastructure, as the patience of the Ogoni was running out.

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