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Tag: UNEP report:

  • UNEP tasks Africa on green energy investments

    A new study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) “The Atlas of Africa Energy Resources” has made a strong economic case for Africa’s investment in green energy.

    Citing data from 54 African countries, the new study revealed the continent’s energy potential, pointing out that investment in renewable energy would strengthen its economic advancement.

    The Director and Regional Representative of the Africa Office for UNEP, Juliette Koudenoukpo, said investments in green energy are critical to attaining the 2030 agenda.

    “The Atlas makes a strong case that investments in green energy infrastructure can bolster Africa’s economic development and bring it closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    “As such, it is an important policy guide for African governments as they strive to catalyze national development by making use of their energy resources,” Koudenoukpo said.

    The new study was released by UNEP and the African Development Bank (AfDB) at the World Economic Forum being held in Durban, South Africa.

    It showed both the potential and the fragility of the continent’s energy resources, which were at the heart of Africa’s socio-economic development.

    “While Africa is richly endowed with both renewable and non-renewable energy resources, its current energy production is insufficient to meet demand.

    “About a third of Africa’s population still lacks access to electricity and 53 per cent of the population depends on biomass for cooking, space heating and drying,” the report said.

  • Buhari inaugurates Governing Council, BoT for Ogoniland clean up

    Buhari inaugurates Governing Council, BoT for Ogoniland clean up

    To ensure full implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday inaugurated the Governing Council and the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Trust Fund for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

    Buhari, while speaking at a brief ceremony in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, noted that the project, which will take two decades to implement, will start five years after the UNEP report.

    The next five years, he said, will address emergency response measures and remediation, while the subsequent years will aim to restore the ecosystems in the Niger Delta.

    He charged the communities to ensure security for the project and prevent recontamination of Ogoniland when completed.

    He said: “Today marks another milestone in the commitment that this administration has made in ensuring the implementation of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland and other impacted sites.

    “This is a very important endeavour that has direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of our brothers and sisters whose environments have been severely degraded by years of unchecked pollution from oil exploration activities.

    “It is exactly five years today, on the 4th of August 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) submitted an extensive Report on its environmental assessment of Ogoniland.  That report, which was commissioned by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, did not only document the problems that existed, but also contained recommendations on how they can be addressed, both in the short term and in the long term.

    “Five years on, the project is yet to properly take off.  It would appear to have experienced a series of false starts, while the local communities continue to suffer from the problem, which has existed long before the Report.  This all adds to the picture described in the UNEP Report as “a landscape characterized by a lack of trust, paralysis and blame.”

    Thanking the Council and BoT for accepting to serve on the Project, he said since the flag-off of the project two months ago, considerable effort had been expended to create a robust mechanism for implementing the project in the long term.

    According to him, the Governing Council and Board of Trustees jointly form an essential part of the governance framework.

    “The governance framework we lay today, following extensive consultations, will form the bedrock for sustainability for years to come,” the President added.

     

     

  • Buhari to launch Ogoni land clean up June 2

    Buhari to launch Ogoni land clean up June 2

    President Muhammadu Buhari will launch the Ogoni land clean up on June 2.

    The Head of Corporate Affairs unit, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Chijioke Amu-Nnadi, said this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Monday.

    The statement said the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, confirmed the date when she visited Bodo in Gokana local government area of the state to inspect an oil spill clean-up demonstration.

    The statement quoted Mohammed as saying that the President had given assurances that the area would be cleaned-up in fulfillment of his electioneering promise to people of the Niger Delta.

    “I can confirm that President Buhari will visit Ogoni land on June 2 to flag-off clean-up of oil spills in the area as recommended in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.

    “Buhari would return to Ogoni land where he inaugurated a fish pond in 1984 where the once flourishing pond regrettably had been destroyed by oil pollution.

    “The Federal Government is coming back to restore the ecosystem to what it used to be and as such restore the peoples’ source of livelihood.

    “We are not just committed to implementing the UNEP report but we are also going beyond that by taking steps to improve security, good governance and economy of the Niger Delta region.

    “I can assure that the clean-up exercise is only the beginning, as Mr. President is focused on restoring hope to people of the region,” the minister added.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mohammed solicited support of all stakeholders to make the exercise a success.

  • Buhari to launch UNEP clean-up of Ogoni June 2

    Buhari to launch UNEP clean-up of Ogoni June 2

    Barring any last minute change of plans, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to launch on June 2 this year, the clean-up of Ogoni land, recommended by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

    The disclosure was made Thursday by the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Muhammed, at the Government House, Port Harcourt, while being received by the Rivers Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.

    The minister, who was represented by the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jubril, stated that the team was in Rivers to seek collaboration and cooperation with the state government and Ogoni stakeholders in the implementation of the UNEP report.

    The Rivers government also assured of its preparedness to collaborate with the Federal Government in the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of UNEP on environmental assessment of Ogoni land.

    Wike, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, expressed happiness with the commitment of the Federal Government in the implementation of the UNEP report, noting that the devastation of the Niger Delta environment had impacted negatively on the people.

    Rivers governor said: “As a state, we strongly reiterate our support towards the holistic implementation of the UNEP report on Ogoni land. We are excited to see the drive of the Minister for Environment in ensuring that the Ogoni clean-up exercise becomes a reality.”

    Wike also expressed the readiness of the Ogoni people and indeed Rivers state to cooperate and collaborate to see the successful conclusion of the clean-up exercise, in accordance with internationally-acceptable standards, to enable the people to return to their farmlands.

    The governor noted that his administration was determined to do all within its powers to provide people-oriented governance, disclosing that efforts were on to restore the garden city status of Port Harcourt.

    The minister for environment also assured that the clean-up of Ogoni land would be driven by all stakeholders in the region and would ensure that the people benefit from it.

    Muhammed lauded the Rivers government for the warm reception accorded the team, stressing that it was an indication that the Federal Government could partner with Rivers in many areas.

  • UNEP report: Briggs gets knocks for opposing Ogoni clean-up

    UNEP report: Briggs gets knocks for opposing Ogoni clean-up

    Niger Delta activist Mrs. Annkio Briggs, yesterday, got the ire of the Ogoni in Rivers State for speaking against the anticipated clean-up of the area.

    The Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, during a visit to Ogoni land, announced that President Muhammadu Buhari would visit the oil-rich environment to begin the 30-year-old clean-up.

    But Mrs Briggs, who spoke at the weekend on a popular radio station in Port Harcourt, the state capital, said Ogoni land was not the only area affected by oil spills.

    She said if President Buhari wanted to tackle the injustice in Niger Delta, he should also consider other parts of the region which were devastated by oil spills and abandoned by multinational oil firms.

    But an environmental rights activist and National Coordinator of Ogoni Solidarity Forum (OFS), Mr. Celestine AkpoBari, yesterday said Mrs Briggs was among the enemies of Ogoni.

    He accused her of joining those frustrating the inclusion of Ogoni indigenes in the Amnesty deal.

    According to him, it was the same negative feeling against Ogoni that made ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to abandon the clean-up.

    AkpoBari said: “The attention of Ogoni Solidarity Forum has been drawn to a statement by Mrs. Briggs yesterday on radio, condemning the effort being made to implement the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report and asking whether or not it is only Ogoni land that is polluted.

    “It is sad that while well-meaning Nigerians and the world are sympathising with the Ogoni, Mrs Briggs is busy condemning the effort. This was the same reasons Jonathan abandoned the Ogoni clean-up…”

    Also, Director of Project and Research, Social Action Mr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface said: “We at Social Action, who have been working with Ogoni people, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) leadership and other local and international organisations to achieve the implementation of UNEP Report are highly disappointed with the alleged statement accredited to Mrs Briggs.

    “We agree with her that all parts of the Niger Delta are polluted and need to be cleaned up, but she should have known that the Ogoni issue has been on before now. We advise her to apologise to Ogoni people and join hands with them to achieve the clean-up.”

  • Clean-up of Ogoniland: PDP, South-South APC, MOSOP hail Buhari’s approval of implementation of UNEP report

    Clean-up of Ogoniland: PDP, South-South APC, MOSOP hail Buhari’s approval of implementation of UNEP report

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State chapter, and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), have described as a welcome development, President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of the full implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Ogoniland’s environmental assessment.

    The Rivers PDP, through its Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah, yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, noted that President Buhari’s action on UNEP and Ogoniland was in tandem with Governor Nyesom Wike’s restoration programme in the state.

    MOSOP, through its President, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, congratulated the President Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria for also approving the setting up of the governing structures to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations of the UNEP report on Ogoniland.

    The umbrella organisation of Ogoni people said: “Coming at a time of growing skepticism, driven by experiences of untoward politicisation of implementation of the report by the immediate past administration (of President Goodluck Jonathan), the approval demonstrates a comforting shift from rhetoric to matching words with action, which expresses commitment. The action will rebuild and strengthen the confidence of our (Ogoni) people in the government.

    “In reciprocation of the Federal Government’s response to our outcries, MOSOP pledges to cooperate with the administration (of President Buhari) and other stakeholders to ensure a successful implementation of the recommendations of the report.

    “While we applaud the approach on UNEP report, we will plead with the Federal Government not to delay the constitution of the approved governance structures, to enable urgent commencement of the Ogoni environmental remediation and restoration exercise. We will implore Mr. President to, as a matter of urgency, call for nominations from the defined stakeholders to enhance composition of the Governing Council and the Board of Trustees of the intervention agency.”

    The PDP, while urging President Buhari to match words with actions on the UNEP report, stated that the decision would fast-track the clean-up of Ogoniland.

    The party lauded the President for not discontinuing a process started by previous administrations, which led to the commissioning of UNEP activities in Ogoni and the setting up of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), particularly by the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, all of which were being gazetted.

    The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-South also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the recommendations of the report.

    The National Vice Chairman of the party in the zone, Prince Hilliard Eta, said in a statement signed by his media aide, Bassey Ita, that the President’s action was an indication that the President Buhari was fully ready to ensure the welfare of all Nigerians as contained in his campaign promises.

    The APC chieftain, who expressed confidence that the government will turn around the economy of the region, also urged the electorate in Bayelsa State to embrace change in the coming governorship election.

    Eta assured that the undue harassment of APC members in the state will soon become history, as the party was reaching out to relevant authorities to put a stop to the menace of the PDP-led authorities.

     

  • Buhari approves cleaning up of Ogoniland

    Buhari approves cleaning up of Ogoniland

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved several actions to fast-track the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme Report on Ogoniland.

    The actions approved by President Buhari, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, were based on recommendations to him by the Executive Director of UNEP, the UNEP Special Representative for Ogoniland, Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministries of Environment and Petroleum Resources, and other stakeholders, include the amendment of the Official Gazette establishing the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) to reflect a new governance framework comprising a Governing Council, a Board of Trustees and Project Management.

    The statement reads: “The President further approved that the HYPREP Governing Council should be composed as follows: Ministry of Petroleum Resources (One representative), Federal Ministry of Environment (One representative), Impacted States (Rivers) – One Representative, Oil Companies and NNPC ( Four representatives), Ogoniland ( Two representatives), United Nations System  (One representative) and Secretariat – Headed by Project Manager.”

    “He also approved the composition of a Board of Trustees for the HYPREP Trust Fund as follows: Federal Government (One representative), NNPC (One representative), International Oil Companies (One representative, Ogoniland (One representative) and United Nations System (One representative).”

    Following a meeting held on the directive of President Buhari, the statement said that it was also agreed that a contribution deposit of $10 million will be made by stakeholders within 30 days of the appointment of members of the Board of Trustees for the Trust Fund who will be responsible for collecting and managing funds from contributors and donors.

    “A new implementation template has also been evolved at the instance of President Buhari, and the environmental clean-up of Ogoniland will commence in earnest with the President’s inauguration of the HYPREP Governing Council and the Board of Trustees for the Trust Fund,” It added

     

  • Ogoni indigenous government to facilitate the implementation of UNEP report

    Ogoni indigenous government to facilitate the implementation of UNEP report

    The Ogoni people, under the auspices of Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA), have declared an indigenous government led by the chairman of Ogoni Governor’s forum, Hon. Lipnee Barika Lawrence.  The  Ogoni government promised to fight for the implementation of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.

    The government said their structure runs from the village council to the districts and to the province, adding that they got their legal backing from UN declaration of rights of indigenous government.

    It would be recalled that the call for the implementation  UNEP report  have generated much controversy leading to different political parties pledging support to the Ogoni people and promising to ensure the implementation of the report.

    The OCIA made up of the eight Ogoni indigenous governors led by its chairman of Ogoni Governor’s forum, Hon. Lipnee Barika Lawrence said Ogoni people are tired of promises from the political class. He noted that the plight of Ogoni people would no longer be politicised but an adequate action would be taken to ensure that UNEP report is implemented.

    While embarking on its first tour to the eight provinces in Ogoni after their inauguration Lipnee said: “After our inauguration as the governor of the eight Ogoni provinces we decided to make this familiarization tour for our people to know what is happening. The struggle of this government has a great emphasis for the execution of the UNEP report. Days are gone when politicians will be coming to Ogioni to use our polluted environment as a campaign to attract vote from Ogoni people.

    “The Ogoni government is on course. Ogonis have elected their governors from the eight provinces. We have come to show ourselves. No one should be afraid of abandonment. We are with our people. If we are not in place, the police would have arrested us as we are moving with siren. Federal Government is aware of our existence and activities. We call on all the Ogoni people to accept our government which is founded on the UN declaration of rights of the indigenous people to have their indigenous government. That is our legal backing.”

    The paramount ruler of Zaakpo community in Bori Province, Chief Sampson Adamugbo, while responding after appeasing the gods for the success of the government, said: “I am happy with the message brought to me today. But I plead that it should be for the interest of Ogoni people else I will not be happy. The things you told me should be real and should not turn out to be false. I pray God’s grace as you continue in this journey.”

    Joseph Kio, a youth leader in Bori who spoke for the youths of Bori Province said: “We align ourselves with the vision of our hero, Ken-Saro Wiwa. We support the struggle of realizing his dreams. We will not fold our hands and watch our oil and efforts waste.”

    Prince Lebosi Eguru who spoke for his father, the king of Luubara, King Dr M S H Eguru, the Gbenemene Kenkana Kingdom encouraged OCIA to be law-abiding in all their activities.

    “Your conducts should be peaceful. It should not involve crisis that may bring Ogoni to be deserted. We want to grow to the point of talking to international communities. The King is rightly behind you in the struggle.” He said

    Hon Dumade Bernard Budam, the Chief of Staff and the Deputy leader Ogoni Legislative Assembly, said that Ogoni has fulfilled all that it entails in the long term struggle for freedom and justice.

    In his words: “I believe that Ogoni has achieved the efforts of Wiwa. We have evoked the United Nation’s declaration of the rights of the indigenous people. We thank President Jonathan for giving us audience because he loves the Ogoni people. If he does not love us he would not have allowed us parade an indigenous government under him. So I believe he loves us and we appreciate him

    “We have made several achievements in course of this indigenous authority. This is because we have structures on ground. The structure runs from the village council to the district, district to province. We are seriously working towards the implementation of the UNEP report in Ogoniland. This government stands on horticulture, that is, agriculture and homeland security for the indigenous Ogoni people.

    “There is no Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) again in Ogoni land. What we have now is Ogoni indigenous government. MOSOP ceased to be a body after the 22nd Ogoni Day anniversary. This is because what MOSOP was established for has been actualised. MOSOP was formed to fight for the freedom of the Ogoni people for justice and for self-government and fair play.

    “Now MOSOP has evoked the UN declaration of the right of indigenes, which is what gave us this right today. There is nothing like MOSOP again in Ogoni. If anybody is talking about MOSOP, it is for the person’s self-gain and interest. The nine affiliates of MOSOP stand as the NGOs that will work with international NGOs to help the government grow. We now have Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority, government of the Ogoni people.”

  • ‘Govt committed to implementing UNEP report’

    ‘Govt committed to implementing UNEP report’

    The Federal Government yesterday said it is committed to the implemention of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recommendations on the clean –up of Ogoniland in the Niger Delta.

    To begin the process, it has set up the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to study the report, which could lead to the final implementation of the report.

    The board chairman of the National Oil Spill Response and Detection Agency, Maj. Lancelot Anyanya (rtd), addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja on the report.

    He said the government was studying the UNEP’s final report to ensure the proper implementation of its recommendations.

    The board chairman explained that the process required a delicate planning.

    Anyanya said: “I know that there has been specific pronouncements regarding government’s commitment to not just address the implementation of the UNEP report but to address the wider issues of oil spills across the region.

    “President Goodluck Jonathan is committed to implementing not just the UNEP report, but to ensuring that the people of Niger Delta and all other communities that produce oil do so in a manner that does not force them or compel them to sacrifice their very existence.

    “It is, therefore, understandable that the implementation of the UNEP report requires delicate planning because it is not just about going in to clean the place. There are issues relating to the dynamics of community relationship.”

    Anyanya urged oil companies to be mindful of the negative impact oil spills have on the environment, adding that most environment pollution is the result of oil spills.

  • FG begins implementation of UNEP report

    The Federal Government has started implementing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland by addressing some emergency measures to provide alternative facilities for the affected communities.

    The Director-General of National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Mr. Peter Idabor, disclosed this in a chat with the News Agency Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Idabor said that government had initiated a Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HPRP) to provide alternative facilities for the Ogoni communities.

    He said, “What we are dealing with now are emergency measures that UNEP has requested to start with – providing alternative sources of drinking water, putting signs to ward off people from having their bath in dangerous areas.

    “Trying to set up a hospital registry to determine if there is any correlation between the number of deaths and oil activities in Ogoniland.

    “I think those things are being done, but the Federal Government has set up a body called HPRP of which the Federal Ministry of Environment is part of the Governing Body, including NOSDRA.

    “Our job is to regulate and to effectively make sure that Ogoni is cleaned up,’’ he said.

    Idabor said that NOSDRA, as a member of the committee (HPRP), was charged with the mandate to regulate the process of remediation and restoration of the land.

    The director-general said that the HPRP had started the first step in implementing the report by carrying out emergency measures to make the communities safe for people to live in.

    NAN recalls that the UNEP report on Ogoniland was released on August 4, 2011 confirming, claims by local communities and civil society groups that there exists an ecological disaster in the area.