25th October, 2014
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Friday inaugurated a multi-stakeholder committee on the restoration of Ogoniland.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Ohi Alegbe, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The statement said that the move was to ensure the environmental restoration of Ogoniland as proposed in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
It said that the 14-member committee was saddled with the responsibility of proposing a focused engagement and implementation plan with clearly defined steps.
It also said that the committee would advise the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project’s (HYPREP) Advisory Council on the manner in which assets and funds of the project may be held and utilised.
The statement quoted Alison-Madueke as saying that setting up the committee was a direct response to the yearnings of the Ogoni people and other stakeholders.
“It is based upon the further recommendations of the HYPREP Advisory Council that I have reached out to patriotic Nigerians from within and outside the Ogoni community to constitute this multi-stakeholder consultative committee.
“The committee will brainstorm and develop suggestions for a clear and actionable roadmap for the restitution of the Ogoni people and restoration of the environment for healthy living conditions.
“I am expecting that in due course, learning from the Ogoni restoration work can and will be applied in other parts of Nigeria, facing similar environmental degradation problems,” Alison-Madueke said.
According to the statement, the committee has Dr Jamila Shu’ara, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, as chairman.
It said other members are Chief Godwin Gininwa, Chairman, Rivers State Council of Chiefs and Traditional Rulers; Legborsi Pyagbara, President, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and Prof. Ben Naane.
Others include Prof. Rosaline Konyan, Dr Abraham Olungwe, Mr Friday Kpelo, all representatives of the Ogoni community; Mr Daouda Toure, UN Resident Coordinator and Shuaibu Otori, representative of the Office of Minister of Petroleum Resources.