President Muhammadu Buhari today in Abuja approved several actions to fast-track the long delayed implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report on the environmental restoration of Ogoniland, the oil-rich but blighted community in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria.

The actions approved by President Buhari 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 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 & NNPC – 4 Representatives

*Ogoniland – 2 Representatives

*United Nations System – One Representative

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

*United Nations System – One Representative

Special Adviser to the President Femi Adesina said Buhari made the approval 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.

“Following a meeting held on the directive of President Buhari, it was also agreed that a contribution deposit of 10 million United States dollars 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,” Adesina said in a statement issued this afternoon in Abuja.

“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,” Adesina added.

•Photo shows the effect of oil exploitation, a common sight in Ogoniland and other parts of the oil-bearing Niger Delta, otherwise known as South-South.

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