Ugo Aliogo
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre Organisation (CISLAC) has called on Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to validate its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with stakeholders, especially Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
Speaking in Lagos during an interactive session recently, the Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Musa, said the KPIs that should be used by stakeholders to assess the quality of work done is not yet released to stakeholders.
He also stated that best practices require all stakeholders to co-develop the KPIs, adding that the reason is to meet different stakeholders’ expectation and encourage inclusive decision-making.
“HYPREP seem to have independently developed the KPIs without inputs, and also unwilling to share same for public utilisation to monitor the success of the clean-up exercise,” he noted.
He affirmed that the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has a statutory responsibility to monitor the remediation process, “however, it is unclear whether NOSDRA has taken up this responsibility.”
Musa further explained that some contractors in the first phase of the remediation exercise have started backfilling, but stakeholders don’t have access to data to Total Hydrocarbon Petroleum (TPH) concentrations of remediated or backfilled soil on such sites, “this has raised concerns for quality assurance and control of the remediation exercise.”
Continuing, he remarked that to drive the remediation process, CSOs should provide project management capacity skills for HYPREP, stating that it is worrisome that HYPREP has funds yet progress is abysmal.
He lamented that nearly four years after the federal government flagged off the much-proclaimed Ogoni clean-up, nothing tangible has since achieved.
He maintained that although a framework for a definite intervention was provided in 2011 through a report by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the issues surrounding contaminated land, groundwater, surface water, sediment, vegetation, air pollution, public health, and industry practice are yet unresolved.
He added that institutional issues as well as recommendations and steps to be followed in carrying out the exercise have become victims of senseless politicking.
Musa posited: “Following the COVID-19 restrictions, work had stopped at some sites, while few are working. However, it is clear from field observation that most lots stopped work long before COVID-19 pandemic reached Nigeria. Some lots had stopped work between September 2019 and January 2020, reportedly over lack of payments, while others are still active with reduced staff capacity.”
