National Union of Ogoni Students (NOUS) Int’l USA, CDHRAC Demand Disbandment of HYREP

…As UNEP Gives It Failing Grade

The Ogoni – American Organisation’s National Union of Ogoni Students (NUOS) INTL USA and Center for Democracy Human Rights & Anti Corruption, CDHRAC Int’l (USA) have called for the disbandment of the

Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYREP as the United Nations Environmental Programs, UNEP, in press releases, gave it a failing grade “for its poor, unprofessional and unethical supervision of the ongoing UNEP clean up in Ogoniland.”

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by officials of both organisations including the President of NUOS Int’l USA, Mr. Pius Barikpoa Nwinee, Secretary General of NUOS Int’l USA, Mr. Sampson B Npimnee, Acting Coordinator of CDHRAC INTL USA, Mr. Deekor Adokor and the Secretary General of CDHRAC Int’l USA, Mr. Toate Ganago.

“We therefore urge the Federal government of Nigeria to disband HYPREP immediately to stop and further stop HYPREP from putting bandage on the pandemic to defame our land and contract the service of international remediation firms with professional experience and technical know-how capacity to handle the cleaning of the ongoing Ogoni cleaning project.

“NUOS INTL USA and Movement For The Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) are committed to advancing the UNEP cleaning in Ogoniland.

“We are aware of the recent UNEP publication in Bloomberg dated August 30, 2022 distancing itself from HYPREP and the Royal Dutch Shell’s corruption and cutting corner unprofessional practices of hate, chaos, betrayal and injustice attempt and attempted impropriety to sabotage the cleaning project so as to permanently endanger and extinct Ogoniland and her enclaves,” the statement read.

The organisations added in the statement that NUOS INTL USA and MOSOP’s position in the matter is clear and unambiguous.

It read: “While we do not oppose oil resumption in Ogoniland, we also want to state categorically and unavoidably that HYPREP improper and inadequate usage of harmful chemicals to breach or defame our land is not a guarantee for oil resumption in Ogoniland, so the Nigerian government should be aware.

“The UNEP publication or UNEP take down of HYPREP’s corruption and HYPREP’S refusal to hire capable experience professionals with technical and complex knowledge with best practices and the situation on ground all demonstrate the urgent need to change course of action to safe Ogoniland and further Nigerian oil exploration.

“We urge the Federal government of Nigeria to negotiate with UNEP to hire or contract the service of international firms with professional experience and technical know-how capacity with recent track records in environmental deforestation, coastal erosion and ecosystem remediation to take over the clean up so as to jump start Nigerian oil resumption prospect and defend our national security protection.”

The groups contended that no amount of visit to London laboratory or facility by HYPREP or the Ministry of the Environment will change the fact that HYPREP and Ministry don’t have what it takes to cushion Shell’s decades of pollution.

They stated that they believe that Shell and HYPREP’s “eleven years of corruption, big lie, half truths, no truth and inactions is enough and it is time to chat a new course to restore Nigerian economy and Nigerian national security.”

It was added in the statement that they also believe that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and that it is time to stop and further stop the “Royal Dutch Shell from corrupting and manipulating the project putting Shell profit ahead of Nigerian national security.

“Despite the Royal Dutch Shell’s lip service claims of “anti bribery policy” and yet, Shell has continued to manipulate HYPREP to hire local companies with no professional experience to cause more ecological destructive and pandemically uninhabitable in the area.”

According to Prof. Philip Shekwolo, “the purported argument made by HYPREP that they are using $35 instead $100 expected by international firms is baseless because the entire cleaning was cost in dollars.”

The group stressed that they have also further found that rather than Shell to contribute money and allow the cleaning to take its course, “Shell has fraudulently lobbied HYPREP to hire its former employee, Philip Shekwolo to manipulate HYPREP not to hire international firms to fall back to its old styles before UNEP study.

“HYPREP and Shell have repeatedly ignored and abandon UNEP suggestions, instead blaming and scapegoating Ogoniland and Ogoni people as if they are perpetrators of their own victims instead of Shell taken accountability of its decades of oil theft.”

It was suggested that HYPREP should be banned and that the federal government should contract new international firms with professional experience and technical know-how capacity “because it’s been eleven years or more of empty promises, no actions since HYPREP embarked on self servicing camouflage propaganda, and yet, HYPREP or Shell or their purported contractors have not provided any record, if any, to show any proper daily logs in or logs out records for independent validations on their misguided and unethical cleaning in the area but instead corrupt and bribed the Nigerian regulators Nosdra to certify among the uncomfortable things Shell and HYPREP are doing.”

“The security, safety and stability situation on the ground is fragile and we urge the Federal government of Nigeria to exercise restraint and avoid cutting corner, but empower UNEP to review and reevaluate the over head cost to support a good estimate for the proposed international firms to handle an effective remediation in the area so as not to compromise Nigerian national security,” the statement read.