Nearly 14 years after the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the impact of hydrocarbon pollution on the environment of Ogoniland, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has finally kicked off a comprehensive health study in the region.

The study, which is a key recommendation of the UNEP report, aims to investigate the health impacts of hydrocarbon pollution on the people of Ogoniland.

HYPREP and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency under the World Health Organisation (WHO), on Tuesday, launched the three-year Ogoni Public Health Study to investigate the health impacts of hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Speaking at the kick-off meeting with IARC team at the Project Coordination Office in Port Harcourt, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator of HYPREP noted that the initiative is in line with the key recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland, which highlighted the need for a long-term, focused medical study to track health impacts across the Ogoni population.

He noted that the study aimed to conduct a comprehensive health risk assessment linked to hydrocarbon pollution, build capacity for local health professionals, and provide clear recommendations for public health responses based on findings.

According to Professor Zabbey, community involvement is a cornerstone of the project. “Community leaders, civil society groups, and health institutions must be brought into this process from the outset to ensure trust, ownership, and relevance,” he emphasised.

He added that the project will prioritise transparency, continuous stakeholder engagement, and ethical compliance throughout the study.

He said: “HYPREP will provide necessary technical, logistical, and institutional support to facilitate smooth project implementation. The project schedule will be jointly reviewed and finalised, and a steering and technical coordination team will be established to oversee the study.

“The study is expected to drive policy interventions, public health planning, and long-term monitoring of the Ogoni population’s well-being. The outcomes of the project will be credible, actionable, and globally recognised, thanks to IARC’s international expertise and scientific rigour. According to Professor Zabbey, the project is expected to bring healing, hope, and progress to the Ogoni land and beyond.

“In addition to the public health study, HYPREP is constructing the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, which will feature state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including cutting-edge MRI machines. This facility will significantly improve healthcare services in the region.”

Also, Dr. Joachim Schuz, IARC leader of the team, in an interview after the meeting, noted that the study aims to provide concrete evidence of the impact of environmental pollution on the health of the people. “We do not want to be speculating, we need to show it, we need to prove what is going on beneath,” Dr. Schuz emphasised.

He explained that the study will collect blood samples from approximately 4,000 people to measure the levels of hydrocarbon exposure and assess the damage that has already been caused.

He added that they will also gather information on the living conditions of the people, including their exposure to pollutants and other health risks.

He, however, encouraged the people of Ogoniland to participate in the study, which is expected to provide valuable information for public health planning and disease prevention.

Dr. Schuz emphasised that the study is an investment in the health of the people and that it will provide critical information for developing effective public health programmes. “Without this study, we do not have the information to do proper planning for good public health planning for the benefit of the people in the long run,” he said.

According to Mike Cowing, a member of the team, the samples will be taken from areas where groundwater and crops are contaminated with hydrocarbons.

The study will include men, women, and children, and will aim to capture the different ways in which hydrocarbon pollution affects various segments of the population.

Ann Oisson, another member of the medical team, noted that children can be affected differently from adults due to their smaller body size and higher exposure levels.

She said the team is working to ensure that the study is representative of the entire Ogoni population, with a focus on finding solutions to sample representatives from the four local government areas. (The Guardian)