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Tag: Ogoni clean up

  • Norwegian envoy pledges support for Ogoni clean-up

    Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria Kjemprud Jens-Petter has pledged its support  to the Federal Government in implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme  (UNEP) Report.

    Jens-Petter spoke after visiting  Nsisi-Oken, one of the demonstration sites in Eleme Local Government Areas of Rivers State.

    He said: ” There is every need for the clean up to proceed, we hope to support the Nigeria government but the government must deliver results to the people of the region. I grew up in 1990s as a political activist in Norway when Ogoniland issue came up to the nation’s agenda and coming here as ambassador, I have been planing to come here based on the widely known UNEP report which is now seven years old.

    “I am here to see for myself, and to try to understand to see what in ways the International community could be helpful to HYPREP and to the Nigerian Government (FG), in pushing forward in  the cleanup and  rehablitation as been promised by the international communities.

    “Although I have not seen to many faces and talked to the locals yet,  there must be a lot of impatience that the cleanup should proceed,  that’s where we hope to support and expect the Nigerian Government to deliverer to the people of the communities.’’

    Gideon Abu, who owns the Nsisi-Oken site, told the visitor that the depth of the contamination was seven meters and that the company would ascertain the kind of contaminants.

    An environmental activist and Founder of Friends of the Earth,  Nnimmo Bassey, said: “The UNEP Report greatly validated the complains of the Ogoniland people,  the Niger Delta struggle and the reason Ken Saro-Wiwa and others lay down their lives. For me and others watching the Ogoniland/Niger Delta events across the world,  the testing has further validated that the UNEP Report is something that need to be implemented urgently.”

    The  project Coordinator of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Dr. Marvin Dekil,  hoped that the partnership between the Federal government and Norwegian government would lead to the successful delivery of the project.

    Dekil noted that technical,  and livelihoods supports, such as provision of water, were required to ensure progress of the exercise.

  • Ogoni clean-up, a template for Niger Delta – Minister

    The Federal Government said on Friday the Ogoni clean-up exercise would serve as template towards the clean-up of other areas in the Niger Delta.

    The Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Jubril Ibrahim, stated this at a one-day Roundtable meeting with stakeholders on Ogoni clean-up project organised by Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project (HYPREP), in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State.

    Ibrahim, who was represented at the meeting by the Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of Environment, Ishiyaku Mohammed, said the government would leave no stone unturned in the bid to clean Ogoni land and appealed for patience from stakeholders in the region.

    “This is to assure the entire stakeholders that the Federal Government commitment on the Ogoni clean-up is unwavering. But there is need for the laying of a solid foundation for the actual clean-up and restoration of the environment. Because of this, we are not in a hurry to fail. The Ogoni clean-up will serve as the template for the clean-up of other impacts sites in the Niger Delta region.

    “Within this year, President Muhammadu Buhari has given unfettered political supports and he takes Ogoni clean-up project as his personal program, especially as it is one of his campaign promises to people of the region.”

     

     

  • How Fed Govt is funding Ogoni clean-up, by Edun

    How Fed Govt is funding Ogoni clean-up, by Edun

    CHAIRMAN of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Hydro-Carbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) Mr. Wale Edun has explained how the Federal Government was funding environmental remediation in Ogoniland.

    He said already, the government has properly funded both the project’s Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BoT) of HYPREP – the two key elements of the governance structure required for the clean-up of the Ogoniland and other impacted sites.

    The two structures were set up by President Muhammadu Buhari in line with his promise to implement the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the area.

    The report recommended the setting up of $1 billion fund to clean-up oil pollution and ensure the environmental remediation of Ogoniland.

    Speaking yesterday on a programme on Arise Television, a sister arm of THISDAY, Edun said HYPREP’s BoT was working with the relevant stakeholders to develop a world-class framework to measure the agency’s achievements.

    His words: “We have escrow account; we have investment advisers; fund managers are in place; we have technical advisers so that when we are given a list of what else has been done, we can check it properly. In fact, from the perspectives of the Board of Trustees, we have funded the governing council, we have funded the budget office and they are yet to apply those funds fully and come back for more.

    “But in the meantime, one thing I like to point out is that the idea is not just that the government or the joint venture oil companies should fund this clean-up, we expect it to last for years and we expect it to cost huge amount and so we are putting in place a structure that allows other people, other philanthropists, other institutions – national and international – to also put money in that fund.

    “So, it is not a project-based organisation that we are handling; it is a fund that can take money at any time and is committed to applying it properly; to applying it prudentially to the job of cleaning up the Ogoniland.”

    On whether the $1 billion is meant only for clean-up of oil pollution or could be deployed in other initiatives such as providing health services, Edun said the fund would also be used to intervene in the health sector and in the provision of drinking water for the people of Ogoniland, whose environment was devastated by oil pollution.

    “It is holistic; it is comprehensive. So, it is for the clean-up of the land by remediation; clean-up of the water, provision of drinking water, restoration of the health of the people of Ogoniland, health intervention; restoration of the means of livelihood of the people as well. So, for the young people, we have training programmes; there are empowerment programmes as well as standards of restoring agriculture and restoring the fishing industry in Ogoniland. So, it is a comprehensive attempt to really restore the lives of the people,” Edun said.

    The HYPREP boss, who also spoke on the growth recorded in the country’s economy, especially in the oil, finance and insurance sectors, noted that the information technology and transport sectors have recorded retarded growth.

    He argued that with the recovery of the country’s oil production and oil prices, the economy recorded the growth as an oil-based economy, which had also suffered when production and crude oil price were down.

    Edun explained that with the recovery of the oil sector and the possibility of Hurricane Harvey driving up oil prices, the country would have the liquidity to drive the economy.

    He said: “With all that, we now have the liquidity to drive the economy forward and that is why we are seeing elements of growth. How this will last is a function of how far we keep doing the same thing. If we agree that it is liquidity that has driven us out of recession, then we need to maintain it. When you look at the sources of liquidity for this country, it is a diversified economy – agriculture, industrial services and the private sector all contribute to growth. The fact is that it is the oil sector that provides the foreign exchange; that provides the liquidity, provides the government revenue and that is where the issue is and I think that is where the focus should be – on trying to maintain what we have done so far, which is improving the foreign exchange market and at the end of the day, it is all about investment.”

    Edun hailed the Federal Government for the achievement but added that for Nigerians to enjoy better standard of living as targeted by the President, the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be much higher than the 0.55 per cent projected.

    “The people in government are working hard and should be commended for what they have achieved so far, but if you look at even the remarks coming from the President, they are looking at GDP growth of 0.55 per cent. But to me, it is definitely not enough because what the President is saying is that he likes to see a situation where the lives of Nigerians will improve,” he said.

    To end poverty, especially in the Northeast, Edun said the people should have income.

    According to him, this could only be achieved by creating employment opportunities.

    He, therefore, recommended that the Federal Government create the enabling environment for inflow of investments, stressing that the country’s reserves of $32 billion have also encouraged investments.

    The Federal Government, Edun said, does not presently have the capacity to borrow because of the country’s debt situation, adding that the money must come from the private sector, foreign direct investments and Diaspora remittances.

    On whether or not the country should sell some of its oil assets, Edun said that could be an option but the concentration should be on building infrastructure to boost productivity.

    He argued that government should not invest directly in infrastructure but should encourage public -private- partnerships (PPPs) and also make policies that would encourage the private sector as has been successfully done in Lagos State.

    Edun stated that the sale of oil assets could be looked into as an immediate solution to create liquidity but added that “what matters most is when that liquidity is achieved, what will be done with it?”

    He recommended that states should diversify so as to play bigger roles in the economy.

    According to him, most states are not doing well because they are not viable, stressing that this trend has to be reversed for the states to play bigger roles in the country’s economy.

  • Paying for our climate: Nigeria should do more on financing climate goals

    Paying for our climate: Nigeria should do more on financing climate goals

    Over the next 40 years, measures to adapt to climate change already built into the climate system could gulp between $0.7billion and $1.2billion each year, nearing $50billion in total according to the World Bank. While estimates of the level of investment needed by developing countries such as Nigeria varies considerably, Kristen Jack, formerly manager of “Cities and Climate Change” advisory teams at “Adam Smith International’s Nigerian Infrastructure Advisory Facility suggests that these may lie between $180 – $450 billion per year for mitigation and $30 – $100 billion per year for adaptation. To cope with this, Nigeria must exploit alternative funding means.

    Climate finance, as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines it, refers to local, national or transnational financing which may be drawn from various sources of financing – and could be public, private or alternative sources is vital in making significant progress towards climate objectives.

    It often requires large-scale infrastructure and the engagement of large segments of the populations, both of which can require high level of investment. These objectives Mitigation i.e. to limit or reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), gases that trap heat in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere to reduce the risks and hazards of climate change; and/or Adaptation i.e. to help communities, societies and economies adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.

    International / Multilateral Funding

    Till date, Nigeria has leveraged $63 million of multilateral funds for climate change projects. This might sound like a lot but the figure according to “Adam Smith International” is broadly equal to that of Rwanda, a country whose population is about 7 percent of Nigeria´s; and just over a tenth of the funding okayed for South Africa.

    Nigeria, unlike a good number of fellow developing nations has met limited success re: accessing available international resources to help meet these needs. This, according to Elijah Awojuola of the Department of Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Environment is a result of “a lack of understanding of climate finance funding opportunities; difficulties in crafting concept notes and applications that reflect the requirements of providers; and challenges in coordinating activities across the government so as to present a coherent vision of Nigeria’s climate finance priorities…”.

    Local Financing Initiatives

    While much of Nigeria´s inadequate climate financing has been supported by multilateral funding, worthy of mention is that on the local scene some progress has been recorded (ie by the Nigerian government) in the last few years.

    Some of these initiatives according to Mr. Awojuola include the “Clean Technology Fund” which is supporting the development of transformative public transport schemes in the three main economic and political cities of Lagos, Kano and Abuja. Another is the pioneering Climate Finance Unit, also established by the Department of Climate Change and whose task is to enhance knowledge and information on opportunities for climate finance.

    Commitment of the Buhari Administration

    The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has assured of the country´s resolve to implement policies aimed at addressing climate change. In a report monitored by Business Day (Nigeria), he states thus, “for us in Nigeria, the larger dimension of the challenge goes beyond emission rights. Survival rights are also at stake”. Speaking further he highlights increases in use of climate smart agriculture and diversification of our energy mix through renewable and efficient gas power as part of progress made.

    President Buhari also lamented the current situation re: the Lake Chad Basin which according to him has shrunk to a mere 10 per cent of its original size thus affecting the livelihood of over five million people.

    However to what extent has the government of the day been able to match its words with actions?

     

    The Ogoni Clean up

    Source: Logbaby Global Ventures Limited

    While efforts to develop a cross-cutting project concept to support the climate resilience of some of Nigeria’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens has begun, there is still a lot left to be done – prominent among which includes the clean up of Ogoni Land, a community in the oil-rich Niger-Delta devastated by extensive pollution of their environment owing to massive oil spills among others.

    Fourteen months after the launch of the much talked about Ogoni clean up, which according to UNEP estimates will take 30 years by Nigeria´s Vice President, Professor Yomi Osinbajo, the extensive oil spills and antecedent damages on the environment of the Ogoni communities remain largely untouched. Since the launch of the clean up according to a Vanguard Newspapers report, a governing council and trust fund have been set up, and a project coordinator appointed, yet no equipment has been moved to the sites, residents say.

    The UNEP report on the Ogoni oil spill mentions that before any clean-up of the oil impact environment is done the Ogoni people be provided with potable water as their sources of drinking water is contaminated 900 times above what the World Health Organisation (WHO) considers pollution.

     

    Call to Action

    Nigeria must considerably expand financing sources locally to cover the gaps occasioned by the inadequacy of multilateral funding inflow. This should be addressed at each level of the three tiers of government. Each of these tiers must be mandated to allocate substantial portions of their share of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (founded in 2011 to replace the scrapped Excess Crude Account for the purpose of managing and investing these funds on behalf of government) as well as statutory monthly allocations towards financing the climate – both in joint and single relevant ventures.

    The country must also as a matter of policy, tax the big oil majors who through their harmful activities such as gas flaring continue to emit GHGs with reckless abandon thereby leaving a trail of devastation in the immediate communities where they operate.

     

  • Ogoni Clean-Up: UN begs Ogoni to be patient with FG over delay 

    Ogoni Clean-Up: UN begs Ogoni to be patient with FG over delay 

    …As UN team visits Ogoni land

     

    Six years after of the United Nations Environmental Programme report on Ogoniland, the United Nations has appealed to the people of Ogoni to exercise patience with the Federal Government of Nigeria over the delay in the commencement of the implementation process.

    The team of UN  made the plea Thursday at a contaminated site in Kwawa community, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, during a familiarization visit to ascertain the level of work on the cleanup of Ogoniland.

    It will be recalled that the Acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo had last year inaugurated committees that would facilitate the implementation, but till date the people of Ogoni are worried over the continuous delay in the implementation.

    Mr. Edward Kallou, the Resident Coordinator United Nations in Nigeria, who led the team to Ogoni land stated that the remediation process involved technical approaches that needed a lot of time to be achieved appropriately.

    Kallou, who disclosed that it was his first visit to Niger Delta region, noted that he was in the area to have firsthand information on the devastation and the level of work done.

    He noted that work was on going in the implementation process and urged the people of the area to the give the Federal Government a chance to be able to deliver a better result.

    Kallou said, “I am here  today on a familiarization visit on Ogoniland. I am here to have a better understanding on the impact of the oil spill and the progress that has been made in the implementation of the UNEP assessment of the devastation in the area.”

    “There are two conclusions I want to draw in my visit. This is a very technical investment; it is not a rural type of investment where you are going to see houses built within a short period of time. My appeal is patience, to ensure that the required technical needs are met and to ensure that at the end of the cleanup it is properly done.”

    “The beneficiary communities or the affected areas are looking up to what are the critical outputs of this investment, but the project is on. It needs to be given time to ensure that the technical aspect of the work is done properly.

    “We need time to allow the experts on the ground to do the critical analysis that are required before an investment is done. My advice to the project coordinator to look at a diversified approach with a rural development focus within the project itself that can be delivered in a short term.”

    Meanwhile, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, the body in charge of the remediation process has said it had commenced fully the training of graduates who would work to achieve the project.

    The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr. Malvin Dekil, said that over 12 people from different environmental related courses were been trained in different skills of remediation.

    He noted that there would be reassessment of impacted sites during the implementation proper as to capture the level of impact on the ground before a remediation plan is sketch for the area.

    He said, “We will take every site and capture the current contamination profile before we design a remediation plan for that area. We a will address that technically.”

     

  • Senate probes $1b Ogoni clean up

    Senate probes $1b Ogoni clean up

    The Senate yesterday mandated its committee on environment to investigate the implementation of the Ogoni Cleanup.

    The Federal Government launched the project in June last year with initial cost of $1 billion.

    Apart from investigating the Ogoni Cleanup, the committee was also asked to assess the progress of the Great Green Wall programme initiated to control desertification.

    The resolutions followed a motion on “World Environment Day” sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) and members of her committee.

    Senator Tinubu is worried that despite the launch of the Ogoni Cleanup Campaign, the work had not started.

    Senator Magnus Abe also told the Senate that there was nothing on the ground to show that the Ogoni Cleanup  is a government priority.

    Senator Abe an Ogboni from Rivers South East) said the country should review some of its practices in the interest of environmental regeneration.

    Senator Tinubu, in her lead debate, noted that the 5th June World Environment Day was set aside to create awareness for environmental issues and protection of the environment.

    She noted that the theme for this year’s World Environment is “Connecting People to Nature”, in celebration of nature’s beauty and man’s dependence on nature for his wellbeing.

    She observed that the Sustainable Development Goals include ensuring clean water and sustainable hygiene, sustainable urban development, sustainable consumption through increased use of natural resources and reduction of toxic materials, combating climate change and its adverse effects, conservation of aquatic resources and preservation of terrestrial biodiversity.

    The Lagos Central lawmaker said in the light of the country’s environmental issues, such as gully erosion in Eastern Nigeria, desertification in the North and large scale environmental degradation in the oil rich South-South, illegal mining, uncontrolled and excavation of laterites, there was a need to be proactive in addressing them.

    She expressed concern that unmitigated environmental issues had widespread effects on the economy, health and social wellbeing of the people.

    The lawmaker also expressed concern that women and children suffered more from the effects of environmental issues.

    She noted that school curriculum fail to teach children at a young age the impact of their actions and their civic duty to the environment.

    Tomorrow’s leaders, Senator Tinubu said, ought to be equipped with how to deal with challenges.

    Senator Tinubu reiterated that the environment is being held in trust for unborn generations and must be kept in pristine condition.

    She spoke about the absence of clear framework and institutional actions to counter climate change and its effects and the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (COP21) and COP 22 in the light of the withdrawal of the United States.

    Senator Tinubu’s six prayers include to:

    • call on governments at all levels to create a feasible framework for realization of the protection environment under the sustainable development goals;
    • urge the Ministry of Environment to create awareness and sensitise Nigerians to environmental issues with a view to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of the citizenry, and to
    • urge the Federal and state ministries of Education to include Environmental Studies in the curriculum  of schools. They were unanimously adopted.

    Other prayers that were also adopted are to accelerate the passage of the Erosion Prevention and Control Bill 2017 and other environment protection Bills, to mandate the Ministry of Environment and relevant agencies to create the framework to stop and prevent further deforestation and degradation, and for replacement of lost vegetative cover and to mandate the ministry to create a sustainable and viable framework to counter climate change and its effects.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki asked the committee to look closely at Ogoni Cleanup.

  • Senate to probe Ogoni clean- up project

    Senate to probe Ogoni clean- up project

    The Senate on Tuesday mandated its committee on environment to investigate the implementation of the Ogoni clean-up exercise.

    The Federal Government launched the project in June last year with initial cost of $1 billion.

    Apart from investigating the Ogoni clean-up, the same committee was also asked to assess the progress of the Great Green Wall programme initiated to control desertification in the country.

    The resolutions followed a motion on “World Environment Day” sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) and members of her committee.

    Tinubu expressed worry that despite the launch of the project, work has not commenced in the area.

    Senator Magnus Abe also told the Senate that there was nothing on ground to show that the Ogoni clean-up exercise designed to clean the area including farmland and rivers of oil spill is a government priority.

    He urged federal government to review the country environmental regeneration programmes.

  • Ogoni clean-up commences before fourth quarter

    Ogoni clean-up commences before fourth quarter

    •MDA to redeploy staff, says NOSDRA DG

    The long-awaited Ogoni land  clean-up will commence before the fourth quarter, Director General of National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Peter Idabor, has assured.

    He said relevant officials from Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will be drafted for the exercise.

    Idahor stated these yesterday in an exclusive with our correspondent in Abuja.

    According to him, the federal government has decided officials from the Federal Ministries of Environment, Finance and Petroleum Resources among others will make up support staff for the Hydro-carbon Pollution Remediation Programme (HYPREP), which is the implementing body.

    He said it was agreed that there would be no vacancies for other positions on the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) project.

    Idahor explained the HYPREP Board of Trustees (BoT) has been set up as well as the Governing Council already.

    He added that the National Coordinator for HYPREP has also been selected through a transparent process as advocated by participating entities, including Shell before release of $1b.

    Idabor said: “In the past, the oil firms shell said they were not giving out the $1b because they claimed there were no transparency and governance structure.

    “The initial gazette gave all the power to one person but they came in now and we have agreed.

    “The BOT was set up and members were carefully selected from the stakeholders even the oil companies themselves and the Ogoni people to have balanced judgement.

    “The governing council was set up. It has a bigger selection of individuals. Chairman of the council is the Minister of Environment.

    “With that in place, they have gone ahead to setup that government structure and transparency required for the oil company to release the $1b that will be used in the first instance for the clean-up.”

    He added:  “The position for HYREP National Coordinator was advertised, People applied and interviewed. Luckily, the present national project coordinator was an Ogoni man.

    “Everything is on ground but primarily the role of NOSDRA as regulatory agency primarily is to ensure the project is well cleaned using our standard and international procedures.”

    Idabor described the Ogoni struggle as unique, stressing that it adopted non-violent approach, whic has earned the community a spotlight in the world.

    He urged the communities to cooperate with the different stakeholders as soon as the clean-up commences.

    He said about 1, 000 jobs will be created for women, youths through an empowerment scheme to meet their daily needs.

    Idabor urged the communities to stay clean during and beyond the clean-up expected to last for about 30 years.

  • FG urged to draw up timelines for Ogoni clean up

    The federal government has been charged to among other things, draw up and publish firm timelines for the Ogoni cleanup process in conjunction with all interested parties. The Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, made the call in Lagos, at a press briefing to update the media on the Ogoni cleanup exercise.

    According to Uyi, it took exactly five years after the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report was submitted to the federal government before the cleanup exercise proper was flagged off in 2016 in Rivers State. He warned that the trust of the people in the processes is reducing.

     

    “The expectation that greeted that ceremony which had the Ogoni people and hundreds of civil society groups in support has however dimmed barely a year after, as the promised cleanup is still bugged down in bureaucracy and controversies. The plans for the clean up is still shrouded in secrecy and has not been formally subjected to public scrutiny.

    “Most important is the fact that the willful exposure of oil producing communities to hazards continue to mount as oil companies continue to operate with impunity in the Niger Delta. They have put profit before people and ecological crimes to the safety, livelihoods and well-being of the Ogoni people”, he said.

  • Senate demands full disclosure on Ogoni clean-up

    Senate demands full disclosure on Ogoni clean-up

    The Senate yesterday demanded full disclosure of sources of funding for the clean-up of polluted Ogoni land in River State.
    Its Committee on Environment made the demand during this year’s budget defence of the Ministry of Environment.
    Committee Chairman Oluremi Tinubu set the tone for accountability.
    The Lagos Central senator hailed the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, for her appointment as deputy secretary General of the United Nations (UN).
    Senator Tinubu, who described Mrs. Mohammed as “the pride of the women folk,” noted that the country will continue to pray for her to succeed in her appointment.
    She said this year’s budget was different because “we are looking at a budget of recovery and growth”.
    The All Progressives Congress (APC) senator insisted that the ministry, departments and agencies under the Ministry of Environment must be accountable because they received public funds from the Federal Government.
    Senator Tinubu said her committee, though interested in the budget projections, also wished to know the 2016 budget performance of the Ministry of Environment.
    A committee member, Suleiman Hunkuyi, urged the minister to brief the committee on the Ogoni clean-up.
    The Kaduna North senator said the committee needed to know the source(s) of funding for the clean-up.
    He said the committee should be informed neither Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) or Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was funding the clean-up.
    According to him, a situation where the committee was kept in the dark about the sources of funding for the clean-up did not show transparency.
    Hunkuyi noted that “any expenditure for the clean-up campaign must be fully disclosed and appropriated”.
    He said: “The exclusion of the National Assembly from knowing the funding sources is not the best way to go. There are so many sources of funding for the clean-up campaign the National Assembly does not know. The knowledge of the sources of funding for the campaign will enable us to properly perform our oversight on the clean-up campaign.”
    Hunkuyi said to the best of his knowledge, Shell was not funding the clean-up campaign.
    The senator noted that since the Ministry of Environment was coordinating the clean-up, the committee must be allowed to perform its oversight on all activities connected with the clean-up.
    He said this was necessary because NNPC was providing funds for the clean-up.
    Hunkuyi said the committee should be told the source of $2 million the minister said had been released for the clean-up.
    The senator noted that whether the funding went to the ministry in cash or not did not matter.
    Mrs Mohammed said SPDC was a private entity that needed to pay for the mistake it made in Ogoni land.
    The minister said SPDC was providing funding for the clean-up.
    Another committee member, Foster Ogola, said the Federal Government announced a N10 billion funding for the clean-up but the provision was not in the budget.
    The Bayelsa West senator said the fact that the N10 billion counterpart funding was “nowhere in the budget, is a source of worry for us”.
    He said the Ogoni clean-up was less than five per cent of the clean-up required in the Niger Delta.
    Ogola, who asked “what happens to the other Niger Delta areas also polluted,” warned that “if there is no provision in the budget, it might lead to more militant activities”.
    He said: “You talked about $1 billion out of which $200 million has been released. There should be transparency in the clean-up of Ogoni land. What is Federal Government’s cash backing for the clean-up of Ogoni land? We should know.”
    The minister reeled out what her ministry planned to do in the 2017 fiscal year.