President Muhammadu Buhari launches Ogoni Power Project for economic development and job creation. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration and the Ogoni 100 Bed Specialist Hospital was done by the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi. President Buhari noted that the project will enhance the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project’s sustainability and that it would create jobs for artisans, spur entrepreneurial growth and socio-economic development in the region.
The President assured the Ogoni community that the Ogoni Specialist Hospital would provide succour to those exposed to hydrocarbon pollution and other environmental pollution-related diseases. The Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration will initiate studies on homegrown methods to address oil pollution in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. The President disclosed that the Bodo/Bonny Road, a multi-billion-naira project, is being constructed to link Bonny Island to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Plant, passing through the heart of Ogoniland. He noted that the road would bring considerable economic benefits to the region.
President Buhari made a pledge to the Ogoni people during his 2015 campaign to implement the United Nations Environment Programme Report on the Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland if elected President. On June 2, 2016, he flagged off the Ogoniland clean-up project at the Patrick waterfront in Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area. The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project was established to oversee the clean-up operations, and a Governing Council, the Board of Trustees, and the Project Coordination Office were constituted to coordinate the clean-up’s implementation. President Buhari disclosed that contracts had been approved for the next phase of remediation of sites and that five thousand Ogoni people would be trained in sustainable livelihood skills while five hundred Ogoni youths would be engaged as environmental vanguards.
Governor Wike was applauded for his support for the Federal Government’s developmental initiatives, particularly for the relative peace in Ogoni Land and Rivers State.
The Minister of Environment gave an update on the progress made in the restoration of oil-impacted sites. HYPREP remediated twenty out of the 65 United Nations Environment Programme sites, and contracts were recently awarded for the remediation of an additional 17 sites.
President Buhari urged the Ogoni community to cooperate with the Federal Ministry of Environment, HYPREP, and the companies handling the projects’ execution. HRM Mene (Dr) Suanu Timothy Yormaadam Baridam Gbenemene, Kasimene Bangha VII of Ogoniland, presented President Buhari with the chieftaincy title, Gbene of Ogoni land (Mighty Eagle of Ogoni land), on behalf of the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers.
The Ogoni Power Project is a laudable initiative that will enhance socio-economic development, job creation and entrepreneurial growth in the region. The project will also provide succour to those exposed to hydrocarbon pollution and other environmental pollution-related diseases. The President called for the Ogoni community’s cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Environment, HYPREP, and the companies executing the project. Furthermore, the Governor was applauded for his support for the Federal Government’s developmental initiatives, particularly for the relative peace in Ogoni Land and Rivers State. Finally, President Buhari received the chieftaincy title, Gbene of Ogoni land (Mighty Eagle of Ogoni land), on behalf of the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers
