Ogoni Cleanup: Shortfall in funding raises eyebrow

Controversy has trailed the shortfall in the funding of the environmental restoration of Ogoniland, as Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project (HYPREP) budget for the year is below $200m.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which carried a detailed study of the devastation of Ogoni environment, recommended an initial capital injection of US$1bn contributed by the oil industry and government to cover the first five years of the cleanup project.

This implies that the sum of $200m is required yearly for the next five years to address what UNEP described as a tragic legacy of oil activities in Ogoni.

The Guardian gathered from a member of HYPREP governing council on condition of anonymity, that contrary to the estimated $200m, the budget for the cleanup, approved in March 2018 was slightly below $150m.

The Guardian, January 27, 2019

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