The Senator representing Bayelsa East and Chairman Senate Committee on host communities producing oil and gas, Senator Degi Eremienyo, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi for rescuing the Ogoni clean-up project from implementation setbacks.
He said this Tuesday in Abuja.
According to him, President Buhari should be commended for terminating the appointment of Dr Ferdinand Giadom as the coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and appointing Prof Nanibarini Zabbey as the new coordinator of HYPREP.
He also commended oil multi-nationals, especially shell, foreign partners like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited for their technical and financial contributions while urging them to do more in faithfully implementing the terms and conditions of the project to the letter.
He acknowledged the sincere and outstanding commitment of the current minister of environment on the Ogoni clean-up project.
Senator Degi said, “The new appointee is a square peg in a square hole. I am confident that the appointment of Prof. Nanibarini Zabbey, a foremost and renowned Ogoni expert on hydrobiology and extensive experience and background on remediation-related activities with bias in bio-monitoring and restoration ecology will no doubt actualize the federal government plan of restoring the ogoni land to its natural form.”