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… Accuses Shell of Lack of Commitment to Exercise
By Joel Anekwe
The Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action, Nigeria) has raised a three-point query to the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), demanding the Ogoni clean-up implementation framework or timetable, showing activities’ schedule, from inception to date and in-view.
This is as the group has accused the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), identified as the main culprit in the pollution of the Ogoni environment, of displaying lack of commitment to the clean-up exercise.
Speaking at a civil society organizations/media forum in Port Harcourt on Monday, Vivian Bellonwu, head, National Advocacy Centre, Social Action revealed that the group’s query is based on the Freedom of Information Act, noting that it also demanded two other major piece of information relating to the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report on the clean-up of Ogoniland.
These include; “List of the 21 company so far awarded the Ogoni clean-up contract jobs, indicating their lots, job types, specifications, etc,” and “details on the emergency measures, including the livelihood projects so far done towards the clean-up, by HYPREP in line with the 2011 UNEP report.”
Bellonwu explained that Social Action’s interest on the issue of clean-up of the environment goes beyond Ogoniland to include the entire Niger Delta, saying “Ogoni clean-up is more or less a pilot and if it doesn’t start up well, straightening might be challenging.”
The letter which was signed by Bellonwu and directed to the project coordinator, HYPREP, Marvin Dekil, reads in part: “The Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action Nigeria), has followed with keen interest, government’s actions and efforts on the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report assessment of hydrocarbon pollution of the Ogoni environment.
“Being one of the leading organizations that have frontally championed the cause of environmental rights as well as that of livelihoods of local community people, Social Action has noted the attempts by government to clean up and indeed remediate the polluted Ogoni environment in line with the recommendations of the UNEP Report including the establishment of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
“While government’s intention in establishing HYPREP could be noble, a number of the steps and activities around the report implementation have unfortunately been shrouded in some level of obscure and indistinct procedures and mechanisms that has not helped shoring up citizen’s confidence in the process. We are however, gladdened by HYPREP’s avowed commitment to the principles of transparency and accountability which it has severally reiterated at different fora,” she said.
The head, National Advocacy Centre, Social Action further explained that the requested information would help provide stakeholders better clarity and insight into the activities of HYPREP and strengthen them further working with communities towards both the desired outcomes of HYPREP’s work and the well-being of communities and their inhabitants.
Participants at the forum later concluded that a coalition of the civil society organizations, media, community and other stakeholders should continue to pressure for independence of HYPREP for it to be able to perform its mandate.
They observed that Shell, as the main polluter of the Ogoni environment, even though providing a lion share of the clean-up fund should not be a member of the board of trustees of HYPREP, adding that the agency should also be made independent of the Ministry of Environment to enable it perform better.
Social Action said it would continue to press until it gets a response from HYPREP, adding that it could take legal action to force the agency to be transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people on its activities in the clean-up exercise.
