MOSOP, women’s group hail HYPREP on Ogoni clean-up progress

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People has commended the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project for the progress so far recorded in the clean-up of polluted sites in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

MOSOP gave the commendation during a visit by its leadership to the HYPREP sites in Ogoniland on Thursday.

The umbrella body for the Ogoni people described the ongoing works at various sites as tangible evidence that the long struggle for environmental justice is yielding results.

Speaking to newsmen, MOSOP President, Olu Wai-Ogosu, said the visit was historic, saying it was exactly ten years after the formal establishment of HYPREP.

He added that the engagement represented an important milestone in stakeholder collaboration.

“This is an important event in terms of stakeholder engagement, and I believe that MOSOP has been looking for situations like this,” Wai-Ogosu stated.

He noted that many of the projects being implemented by HYPREP are direct products of the struggle led by MOSOP for several decades now.

“Knowing very well that most of the projects that we run today are all products of the struggle which MOSOP led. So it’s very important that we’re having this engagement. The last time we had an engagement with HYPREP, they promised we were going to be taken to project sites.

“Well, it took so long, but we’re here today,” he said.

Wai-Ogosu described several of the works inspected as signature projects among the wider portfolio of HYPREP’s activities, even as he praised efforts to restore lost ecosystems along the devastated coastlines.

“Most importantly, the efforts so far that we’ve seen are that HYPREP is trying to bring back some lost ecosystems,” the MOSOP leader stated.

He said evidence of ecological recovery is already visible, which is critical in supporting fisheries and seafood availability for local communities.

The MOSOP leader described the provision of potable water in several communities in Ogoniland as a vital intervention given the contamination of groundwater sources.

However, he cautioned that sustainability challenges go beyond the physical installation of water systems.

“My assessment of the sites we have seen today in terms of water provision is that the challenges are more than just providing a water source.

“The challenges also go way ahead in terms of changing our attitude towards using resources. The water project cannot fully sustain itself unless we meet the challenges of sustainability,” he stressed.

While calling for improved communication and community ownership to ensure long-term gains, Wai-Ogosu noted that regular engagement between MOSOP and HYPREP management will strengthen quality assurance.

Wai-Ogosu noted, “Quality control and quality assurance are absolutely important. You cannot be a judge in your own situation. They have an internal monitoring system. We give them kudos for that. We understand they also have external technical people to help in monitoring and control.

“But we are saying that it should enhance the quality control assurance.”

Also speaking, another MOSOP leader, Prince Bira, said the heavy price paid by the Ogoni people through protests and sustained commitment to the ideals of the struggle has resulted in the projects being put in place by HYPREP.

Bira referenced the Ogoni Bill of Rights signed on August 26, 1990, by the founding fathers of MOSOP, saying the Federal Government and the International Oil Companies must come together and provide extra funding for the remediation of the Ogoni environment and also build some infrastructure.

The Pioneer President, Federation of Ogoni Women’s Association, Georgiana Tenalu, who recalled her role in mobilising women during the early days of the struggle under the late playwright and Ogoni hero, Ken Saro-Wiwa, contrasted the oppression of those years with the present atmosphere of relative freedom.

She appealed to youths from Ogoni communities to utilise the opportunities provided through HYPREP to improve their sources of livelihood and better their communities.

HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, described the joint inspection as a landmark moment for both the project and the entire Ogoni people.

On October 16, 2026, The PUNCH reported that the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities called for increased funding for the HYPREP to enable it to complete outstanding projects under the Ogoni cleanup exercise.

The committee, led by its chairman, Dumnamene Dekor, made the call after a two-day oversight visit to some HYPREP project sites in Ogoniland.

Dekor said the initial funds provided for the cleanup had been utilised, adding that the level of project implementation had exceeded initial expectations.