President Buhari’s directive on Ogoniland clean-up shows he’s President of all’

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said the steps taken by President Muhammadu Buhari to fast-track the environmental clean-up of Ogoniland shwed he was a President for all.

APC’s Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed spoke at a news conference in Lagos.

He said the step was undoubtedly one of the most significant decisions taken by Buhari since his inauguration on May 29.

Mohammed said: ‘’This action of the President transcends all the needless arguments about the appointments so far made by him, because it touches directly on the well-being of a long-suffering people. People whose farmlands, drinking water, homes and sources of living have been deeply affected by hydrocarbon pollution.

‘’The action also puts a lie to the antics of those who insinuated that the President would ignore those who did not vote for him in the March 28 presidential election.

‘’Undoubtedly, the most far-reaching action by the President has been to the benefit of the Niger Delta, where he is not known to have garnered many votes! What a pleasant irony. ‘’

He said the President’s action had given life into a four-year report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which had been on the shelf since it was published on August 4, 2011.

The APC spokesman said: ‘’The UNEP report showed the nature and extent of oil contamination in Ogoniland, which includes the extensive pollution of soil by petroleum hydrocarbons in Ogoni.

‘’Pollution has reached the groundwater. In one site, in Eleme Local Government, 8cm layer of refined oil is floating on the groundwater serving community wells.

‘’Crops were damaged, fish fawning places in Mangrove contaminated, oil fires kill vegetation and there was loss of Mangrove cover due to increased artisanal refining

‘’Surface water contains hydrocarbons. Floating layers of oil vary from thick black oil to thin sheens. Fish deserted polluted areas, which made the Fish sector suffer due to destruction of fish habitats.

‘’On the issue of public health, Ogoni community is exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons, which are in the outdoor air, drinking water and contaminated soil.

‘’Community members in some areas drink water with Benzene, a known carcinogen, at levels 900 times above the WHO guideline. ‘’

Mohammed said the Goodluck Jonathan administration did nothing beyond establishing the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) in 2012, a year after the report was submitted.

He added that the President approved the amendment of the Official Gazette establishing HYPREP to reflect a different governance framework, which would create a Governing Council, a Board of Trustees and Project Management.

He said the President also approved the composition of a Board of Trustees for the HYPREP.

Mohammed said: ‘’Some $10 million will be made available by stakeholders within 30 days of the appointment of members of the Board of Trustees for the Trust Fund, who will be responsible for collecting and managing funds from contributors and donors.

‘’A new implementation template has also been evolved at the instance of President Buhari, and the environmental clean-up of Ogoniland will commence in earnest with the President’s inauguration of the HYPREP Governing Council and the Board of Trustees for the Trust Fund.

‘’It is important to say that with these steps by President Buhari, he has proved beyond doubt that he is a President for not just those who voted for him, but for those who did not vote for him and those who did not vote at all.“