Ogoni: HYPREP trains 5.000 youths, begins cleanup

By AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja

The Hydrocarbons Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) yesterday disclosed that it has trained about 5000 Youths and Women in Ogoni for improved and sustainable livelihood, even as it has commenced the cleaning of oil spillage in the area.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the 17th Meeting of the National Council on Environment (NCE) in Abuja, the Project Coordinator, Hydrocarbons Pollution Remediation Project, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, said apart from the cleaning up of the oil spillage in Ogoni Land, HYPREP has also trained about 5000 Youths and Women from the Area for a sustainable development livelihoods.

Professor Zabbey said, the cleaning up of Ogoni land comprises of about 2000 hectares of both the medium risk site and a complex high risk site oil degraded areas.

He ststed that, “the project is in phases, that is, mangrove areas and a complex shore light areas. The former mangrove areas is about 560 hectares.

“Our mangrove system of restoring spillage areas is the best globally as that last and the best five times than tropical rainforest.

“So we have started with a pilot of 560 hectares and the community people are fully involved. Even the contract of the mangos seeds are been given to them to provide for planting.

“HYPREP is committed to enhance the capacity of the local people. We build the capacity of the local people which we refer to as environment vandals.

“The Community people are directly involved in the planting also as part of our broad livelihood programme. At the moment we have also trained about 5,000 youth and women, because we want to create a sustainable livelihood for them.

“Just last Saturday, two Airlines came to Ogoni to interview people that we have trained as Cabin Crew. So we are creating all these for them as an alternative livelihood opportunities.

“We are at the same time restoring the environment in order to resuscitate the traditional livelihoods of the people which is basically fishing and farming”