Social Action Express Concern Over Lack Of Transparency And Accountability By HYPREP In The Clean-up Of Ogoni Oil Polluted Sites

The Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action Nigeria) has expressed concern over seeming lack of transparency and accountability by Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in the clean-up of oil polluted site in Ogoni land.

Vivian Bellonwu, head National Advocacy of Social Action Nigeria, expressed the concern while addressing members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the media Today in PortHarcourt,Rivers State, Nigeria on the theme “Amplifying Premium Times Investigative Report On Ogoni Clean Up”

She said” Social Action has followed with keen interest, Government’s actions and efforts on the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report on the assessment of hydrocarbon pollution of Ogoni environment and has observed that the procedure for award of contracts by HYPREP is not transparent”.

According to the head National Advocacy of Social Action Nigeria, most of the contractors are not qualified as they do not meet up the Pre-Qualifications criteria of HYPREP for contractors and such situation may affect negatively the clean-up  in Ogoni land

“We are particularly concerned about the clean up in Ogoni because is like a pilot project that will serve as a model for the clean-up of other Niger Delta oil polluted sites and as such, HYPREP has a duty to be proactively transparent,it does not have to wait for CSOs, media or other stakeholders to demand from it, framework for the clean-up of Ogoni land”, She said

Mrs Bellonwu stated that a result of seeming lack of transparency and accountability Social Action wrote to HYPREP requesting for three things in line with Freedom of Information (FOI)  act 2001,which include

1. Ogoni Clean Up Implementation Frame Work

2. List of 21 Contractors so far awarded the Ogoni clean –up, contractors jobs, indicating lots, job types, specifications

3. Details on emergency measures (including the livelihood projects) so far done towards the clean-up, so far provided by HYPREP in line with the 2011 UNEP report

Another Staff of Social Action, Kpalap Sebastian said “Social Action works with media partner on anti-corruption projects that takes the task of going into in-depth findings, Premium Times have come out with the findings; We are now bringing it to the public”.

Mr Kpalap revealed that most communities in Ogoniland are beginning to get agitated due to lack of transparency and accountability by HYPREP.He advised the body to do the right thing

Arochukwu Paul Ogbonna(ESQ) in his response, stated that there is procedure to follow in FOI act if HYPREP decline to respond to the letter written to the organization by Social Action

He further added that the FOI will create a platform for Advocacy

Our correspondent revealed that Social Action raised 5 major concerns which include:   

1. Identification of Polluters SHELL and NNPC as agent of clean-up which may affect the process of clean-up negatively

2. No legislation backing HYPREP

3. The relationship between HYPREP and other Federal Government agencies responsible for clean-up is not clearly defined

4. Exclusion of Civil Societies from process of implementation of UNEP report

5. No clear understanding on how the clean-up will be funded

Other stakeholders who spoke on the need for HYPREP to be more transparent include Enefaa Georgewill, Chairman Rivers Civil Society Organization,Fyneface dumnamene fyneface   an Environmental Activist