The House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities has pledged to intervene in access disputes affecting environmental remediation sites in Ogoniland, as lawmakers called for expanded livelihood programmes to help communities recover from the effects of hydrocarbon pollution.
The committee’s chairman, Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, made the commitment during an oversight tour of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) sites across Ogoniland, Rivers State, where the lawmakers assessed ongoing cleanup activities, healthcare interventions, water projects and youth empowerment programmes.
One of the issues that attracted the committee’s attention was a hydrocarbon-impacted site where community members had erected a fence, preventing HYPREP from accessing the location for further remediation.
Dekor said the committee would examine the circumstances surrounding the restriction and seek a resolution that would enable the project to resume work at the site, particularly to address the contamination of underground water.
“The committee is looking into it with a view of resolving that for HYPREP to take over that facility again and ensure that underground water that is contaminated there is cleaned,” he said.
The development highlights one of the practical challenges facing environmental restoration efforts in the oil-producing communities, where access to affected locations is necessary for cleanup activities to proceed.
Beyond the access dispute, the lawmakers also assessed HYPREP’s interventions in healthcare, with Dekor expressing satisfaction with the facilities provided at an upgraded primary healthcare centre in Onne, Eleme Local Government Area.
The centre is equipped with modern medical equipment and solar power to support its operations.
“Walking into this facility, you will see babies are born. They have state-of-the-art facilities that make living here a lot better,” Dekor said.
The committee chairman said remediation work had been completed in some locations, was ongoing in others and was yet to begin in a few areas, adding that the overall progress was satisfactory.
On water supply, Dekor commended the progress made on water projects but urged HYPREP’s Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, to extend the use of solar power to other schemes.
He cited the completed water project in K-Dere, which he said had operated continuously for months, as an example of how solar energy could improve the reliability of water infrastructure in the communities.
The lawmakers also visited skills acquisition centres where about 2,400 Ogoni youths are receiving training in fields ranging from mechatronics to cybersecurity, alongside stipends.
They urged the trainees to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire marketable skills, while calling on HYPREP to expand livelihood programmes for people whose traditional sources of income have been affected by pollution.
The emphasis on alternative livelihoods reflects the broader challenge of ensuring that environmental restoration delivers benefits beyond the physical cleanup of contaminated land and water.
For communities whose economic activities have been disrupted by pollution, access to employable skills and sustainable income opportunities remains an important part of recovery.
Speaking during the visit, Zabbey said HYPREP was active at more than 120 sites, covering environmental remediation, shoreline cleanup, potable water provision, hospital upgrades, job creation and skills development.
He acknowledged operational challenges, including flooding that submerges monitoring wells and bio-cells used in remediation activities.
Zabbey also identified the restriction of access to a project site by a community chief, who cited safety concerns, as one of the difficulties encountered by the project.
The oversight visit provided the lawmakers with an opportunity to examine both the progress of HYPREP’s interventions and the obstacles requiring attention as environmental restoration continues across Ogoniland.
