FG Approves New Management Board for Niger Delta and Ogoniland Clean up. cc @DrJoeAbah

President Buhari stated, “The choice is for you to keep your environment clean and nurture the Niger Delta back to its lost glory. The beginning of this clean-up exercise is clear evidence that Ken Saro Wiwa and other sons of Ogoniland who fought hard for environmental justice did not fight in vain. Let this mark the beginning of the restoration not just of the environment of Ogoniland, but of peace and prosperity to the great land and people of Ogoniland”

Following the historic Presidential launch of the Implementation of the UNEP Report on June 2, 2016, in Bodo, Rivers State, President Buhari has approved the composition of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees, key elements of the governance structure required for the Clean up of Ogoniland. This is in line with Mr President’s promise to implement the UNEP Report.

The Hon. Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed said in a statement that President Buhari has approved the inauguration of a 13-person Governing Council and a 10-person Board of Trustees (BOT). This governance structure ensures inclusiveness, accountability, transparency and sustainability of the Clean up exercise.

Addressing the concerns raised by Nigerians about the perceived slow pace of work, the Minister said, “Nigerians have a right to voice their concerns. We have a responsibility to deliver. The launch was the 1st step in a 30-year journey. We continue to make strides toward implementation”

“We ask for patience as we lay solid foundations for the clean up. The context is complex and stakeholders are diverse. All must be taken along. His Excellency, President Buhari remains steadfast in his conviction to see Ogoniland and other parts of the Niger Delta cleaned up. My team at Federal Ministry of Environment is actively working collaboratively with Ministries of Petroleum Resources, Niger Delta, NDDC and key stakeholders to see that the Promise of His Excellency is kept and we stay clean after the clean up” the Minister said in a Statement.

An environment in need of a clean up.

The Minister also reiterated the need to see the clean up as a collective responsibility and urged all the Niger Delta communities especially the Ogonis to support the remediation and restoration efforts of the government.

The Clean up operation – which the UNEP report said could be the “most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise” – aims to restore drinking water, soil, creeks and important ecosystems such as mangroves. The UN report estimated that the clean up of Ogoniland could take up to 30 years where the initial remediation will take 5 years and the restoration another 25 years. (NTA NEWS)