Indigenous oil companies and refinery operators have failed to support the ongoing clean-up of polluted communities in the Niger Delta, despite existing legal obligations, even as the European Union, development partners, banks, and philanthropic organizations move to sustain the remediation effort.
Board Chairman Raises Alarm
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ogoni Trust Fund, Emmanuel Deeyah, disclosed this yesterday at a donor conference organized by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project in Abuja. Deeyah said operators expected to contribute to the clean-up programme had yet to make meaningful commitments, raising concerns over the long-term funding of the initiative.
According to Deeyah, while the commitment was expected to total about $6 billion over 30 years, ten years into the programme, $1 billion has not been realized, suggesting the funding requirement may remain unrealistic. He added that while International Oil Companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited have met their obligations, local operators and refinery owners have not demonstrated similar commitment.
Legal Obligations Ignored
“IOCs and NNPC have done 100 per cent of their initial responsibility. However, the refineries and local operators have not supported us in any meaningful way. There hasn’t even been a single formal commitment from them,” he said. Deeyah noted that the expectation for contributions was backed by law, following extensive consultations that culminated in a gazette outlining the responsibilities of all stakeholders.
“We believe this position is not correct, especially since the gazette establishing these obligations followed extensive consultations. It clearly outlines what is expected of all parties involved,” he added. He disclosed that the board had escalated the matter to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources to ensure compliance, noting that engagements were ongoing to compel defaulting operators to meet their obligations.
Progress Amid Funding Constraints
The clean-up of Ogoniland, being implemented by HYPREP, is based on recommendations from the landmark 2011 United Nations Environment Programme assessment, which documented decades of environmental degradation caused by oil exploration. Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, speaking at the event, said the Federal Government remained committed to restoring impacted communities and highlighted significant progress recorded under the programme.
He said hundreds of hectares of hydrocarbon-polluted land had been remediated, while potable water projects, healthcare facilities, and livelihood programmes had been delivered to affected communities. “Large-scale mangrove restoration initiatives are reviving fragile ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity. Modern healthcare facilities are being constructed, while livelihood programmes have empowered thousands of beneficiaries,” he said.
The minister added that the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration was being developed as a major legacy project to drive research, innovation, and capacity building across Africa. Despite the progress, Lawal warned that the programme faced funding constraints, noting that resources that had supported much of the work so far were nearing exhaustion.
