By Oladipupo Awojobi
The National Union of Ogoni Students (NUOS INTL) USA, and Ogoni Lives Matters International (OLM) USA have called for the disbandment of Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project’s (HYPREP) and suggested that the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) should step aside in Ogoniland, Rivers State.
This was contained in a statement released by the organisations entitled; “HYPREP a fraud and a scam: it should be disbanded, UNEP should step aside’ and dated May 18, 2019.The statement was jointly singed by the President of (NUOS INTL. USA), Mr. Pius Baripkoa Nwinee, Secretary General of (NUOS INTL. USA), Mr. Sampson B Npimnee, Coordinator of (OLM INTL (Ogoni Lives Matter), USA, Mr. Cornelius J.S Dumerene and Secretary General of (OLM INTL) Ogoni Lives Matter), USA, Mr. Toate Ganago.
“We the National Union of Ogoni Students (NUOS INTL) USA, and Ogoni Lives Matters International (OLM) USA are dismayed to note that the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands government continues to cover and weaponise Shell and Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project’s (HYPREP) environmental and medical fraud against Ogoni people by parading Shell, HYPREP and the Nigeria government on a foreign trip to London.
“Ogoni demands are simple; we request the contracting of an international company with capable professionals and technical skills to handle the area because Ogoni-land is under stress and we can no longer tolerate, accept or ignore this retrogressive, deceptive contraption with HYPREP,” the statement read.
It was added in the statement that UNEP must step aside because, according to the groups, its independence has been corruptly squandered by its representatives self-seeking interests at the expense of Ogoni.
“We call on Joyce Msuya to investigate and immediately withdraw corrupt UNEP’s representative from advising HYPREP because the aforementioned conducts are in blazing violation to defraud Ogoni people and cause more genocide in Ogoni-land.
“We also want to put the Nigerian government on notice, to make true its mission of fighting corruption by disbanding HYPREP and stop it’s clandestine quest for oil resumption in Ogoni-land,” they said.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Embassy of the Netherlands, USA, the Embassy of the Netherlands, Nigeria, United Nations office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, Office of the Special Adviser on Africa and the Executive Director of UNEP, Joyce Msuya.
