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New HYPREP boss Zabbey assumes office, promises implementation of Ogoni clean-up 

By Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt
05 May 2023   |   12:50 pm
The new Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project, (HYPREP), Prof Nanibarini Zabbey, has commenced work at the project coordination office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State with an assurance to give a prime commitment to the implementation of the Ogoni Clean-Up.  Prof.Zabbey took over from the former project Coordinator, Dr. Ferdinand Giadom who…

Former HYPREP Coordinator Dr. Ferdinand Giadom handing over to newly appointed P.C Prof. Nanibarini Zabbey

The new Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project, (HYPREP), Prof Nanibarini Zabbey, has commenced work at the project coordination office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State with an assurance to give a prime commitment to the implementation of the Ogoni Clean-Up. 

Prof.Zabbey took over from the former project Coordinator, Dr. Ferdinand Giadom who was appointed by President  Muhammadu Buhari as the  Coordinator of HYPREP in March 2022.

Addressing  Ogoni youths who thronged to the HYPREP office in Port Harcourt to receive him yesterday, Prof. Zabbey said, President Buhari is highly committed to the Ogoni Clean-Up because he loves the Ogoni people. 

He also added that the Minister of Environment, Mohammed  Abdullahi, was dedicated and committed to delivering the United Nations Environment  Programme (UNEP) Report in Ogoniland because it will serve as a template for other remediation work in other parts of the Niger Delta.

The new Project Coordinator, therefore, assured that he would put in his best to wholly achieve the  Ogoni Clean-Up project. 

He thanked the Ogoni youths for the demonstration of love urging all to join hands towards fast-tracking the noble project. 

He said, “inclusiveness is a key word in the administration of President Buhari. And so, I want to urge all of you to be patient and united, so that there will be sustainable peace because where there is peace we can think creatively and deliver a project that will be a model for the Niger Delta.”.   

Prof. Zabbey also re-emphasized the importance of the livelihood aspect of the project, saying: “The government is very concerned about the livelihoods in Ogoni. Of course, the Ogoni project is about two things: restoring the environment and restoring the livelihoods of the people.

“Man is at the center of the environment. Without human beings there is no Clean-Up and without the Ogoni people eating they will not enjoy the benefit of environmental restoration”. According to Zabbey, “The honorable minister of environment has asked me to tell you that the issue of livelihoods for women and youths will be taken seriously.”

One of the leaders of Ogoni Youths, under the aegis of Ogoni Youth Federation(OYF), Saviour Imeabe, urged Prof. Zabbey to carry the youths of Ogoni along and build strong bond between stakeholders and HYPREP.  

He said, “We are very happy to receive you today as the new Project Coordinator. This is something that we haven’t done before in this number with drums and trumpets as you can see here.

“What you are seeing here today is a pure demonstration of the love we have for you and gratitude to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the honorable Minister of Environment Mohammed Abdullahi”.

Similarly, the President of OYF, Legborsi Yamaabana commended the president for taking steps beyond rhetoric to ensure that the Ogoni Clean-Up is being implemented. 

He said, the devastated environment is not a problem affecting the Ogonis alone but the entire Niger Delta Oil producing communities, praying that the incoming administration of President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu would re-appoint the Minister of Environment Abdullahi to enable him to continue the good works on Ogoni Clean-Up project.

The new HYPREP Coordinator, Prof Zabbey is a renowned Ogoni expert on hydrobiology and has extensive experience and background in remediation-related activities with a basis in bio-monitoring and restoration ecology.

Until his appointment, he was a Senior lecturer at the Department of Fisheries Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt.

He is the first African recipient of the Association of the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2022 Ruth Patrick Award for research and engagement with a critical impact on the recovery of the Niger Delta ecosystem from oil spills and environmental justice for affected communities.

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