The Governing Council of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has pledged to address the challenges slowing the implementation of the Ogoni oil spill clean-up, remediation and restoration exercise in Rivers State.

The council made the commitment on Wednesday after a two-day inspection tour of ongoing remediation, water, healthcare, power and livelihood projects across affected communities in Ogoni.

Leading the inspection team, the Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Nwibere Barinedum Michael, identified funding, flooding and accessibility as some of the major challenges affecting the timely execution of projects in the area.

Speaking with journalists after inspecting the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER) in Gokana, Nwibere said the funding challenge had been resolved following the approval and release of funds by the Federal Government.

He explained that delays experienced by some contractors were not deliberate, but were linked to the procedures guiding access to funds for the project.

“Most of the projects you see now slowed down a bit. It’s not because it was any deliberate fault of anybody. Remember, this is not an agency of government; this is a project that has timelines and we have procedures, rules and regulations that guide the way funds are being accessed,” he said.

According to him, the Governing Council responded promptly to the funding request submitted by the Project Coordination Office, after which the request passed through the required government procedures.

“As we speak now, to the glory of God and service to humanity, I think the funds are in now,” he said.

Nwibere said the availability of funds would help accelerate work on projects that had experienced delays, while the council would continue to monitor their execution to ensure that the objectives of the clean-up exercise were achieved.

The inspection was part of the council’s oversight responsibilities and was aimed at assessing the progress, challenges and level of implementation of projects being undertaken under the Ogoni clean-up programme.

Among the projects inspected were the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital, the 132KVA Ogoni Power Project and water facilities in K-Dere, Yeghe and B-Dere communities.

The team also inspected land and shoreline remediation sites at Ogale and B-Dere, as well as livelihood training centres focused on cybersecurity and software development.

The HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, was represented during the inspection by the Director of Technical Services, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi, who led the Project Coordination Office team alongside members of the Governing Council.

The council reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that ongoing projects were completed within the required timelines, stressing the importance of sustained oversight in delivering the environmental restoration and other interventions planned for Ogoni communities.