HYPREP Mid-term Report: 93% Mangrove Completion, 53% Shoreline Cleanup In Ogoni
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has announced progress in its environmental restoration efforts in Ogoniland, Rivers State.
The Project’s 2025 mid-term scorecard revealed that 93% of mangrove restoration has been completed, while shoreline remediation stands at 53% completion, noting that other key remediation activities have also advanced significantly.
Presenting his Scorecard at the 2023-2025 midterm Ogoni stakeholders engagement held at the weekend, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey the Project Coordinator of HYPREP said the construction of a 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan is 93% complete, and the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, a 100-bed facility, has reached 76% completion.
He noted that soil and groundwater cleanup at medium-risk sites have made substantial headway.
Prof Zabbey disclosed that HYPREP’s community-led restoration of 560 hectares of oil-degraded mangroves is nearing completion, marking a major milestone in rehabilitating ecosystems damaged by decades of oil pollution. Shoreline cleanup efforts have similarly progressed, with over half of the targeted areas remediated.
He, however, acknowledged challenges such as misinformation, chieftaincy disputes, land boundary conflicts, and litigation but stressed that these issues are being addressed through dialogue and inclusivity.
He said: “Currently, HYPREP is advancing the remediation of 39 lots l across 17 medium-risk, complex sites covering 125.39 hectares of hydrocarbon-impacted land. This involves remediating contaminated soil and groundwater outside residential areas. HYPREP has launched the world’s largest initiative to restore oil-degraded mangroves in Ogoniland. The pilot phase, covering 560 hectares, is 93% complete.
“I am pleased to inform you that HYPREP has recorded commendable progress in the implementation of its core mandates in line with UNEP recommended actions and the directives in the official gazette establishing HYPREP.”
He added: “In the area of environmental remediation, more sites have been successfully remediated and certified, with several others currently at different stages of remediation. HYPREP has successfully achieved the certification and official close-out of fifty (50) remediated lots across seventeen (17) UNEP-assessed sites, under its Phase 1 Remediation of Simple Sites.
“The clean-up of 1,700 ha of oiled shoreline is 53% completed. Currently, HYPREP is advancing the remediation of 39 lots l across 17 medium-risk, complex sites covering 125.39 hectares of hydrocarbon-impacted land. This involves remediating contaminated soil and groundwater outside residential areas. HYPREP has launched the world’s largest initiative to restore oil-degraded mangroves in Ogoniland. The pilot phase, covering 560 hectares, is 93% complete.
“In addition to the certified closure of these 17 simple sites, HYPREP also secured NOSDRA certification and close-out for thirteen (13) Category N Sites. These were locations lacking sufficient data, which HYPREP reinvestigated and found that natural attenuation processes have reduced the contamination to acceptable levels. Such sites do not require further remedial actions.”
Meanwhile, Ogoni stakeholders have commended the HYPREP for its efforts in implementing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland.
The stakeholders made this commendation at the 2023-2025 midterm stakeholders scorecard held in Port Harcourt, praising HYPREP’s progress in environmental remediation, livelihood programs, soil management, water provision, and power.
Leading the assessment, Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, lauded the current management team of HYPREP led by Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, saying they are doing their job with renewed vigor and passion.
Dekor urged stakeholders and youths to take ownership of the projects, emphasizing that they are meant to serve the people.
He also frowned upon the vandalization of HYPREP projects by some community members and advised beneficiaries of the agency’s empowerment programs to utilize them for their benefit.
Nigeria’s former ambassador to the Republic of Netherlands, Oji Ngofa, commended the stakeholders’ engagement, stating it helps get stakeholders’ buy-in for the projects.
However, he called for a sustainability framework to ensure the gains achieved through the project are not eroded.
Ngofa urged HYPREP to adopt the same model used in the Water Consumer Association (WCA) to get more community involvement.
Other stakeholders, including Prof. Barineme Fakae, former Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, and HRM Dr. Philip Obele, the Oneh-Eeh Eleme, commended HYPREP’s efforts and called for continued support.
Fakae praised the quality of work done by HYPREP, especially at the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), while Obele urged the management to bear in mind the sacrifices of slain Ogoni heroes who fought for the project’s implementation.
HYPREP Mid-term Report: 93% Mangrove Completion, 53% Shoreline Cleanup In Ogoni is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
