The Federal Government has commenced the process of compensating Ogoni citizens whose lands, farms, or livelihoods were affected by the ongoing construction of the Ogoni power project.
The project, executed by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), aims to provide electricity to Ogoni communities in line with the recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which assessed the environmental damage caused by years of oil exploration in the area.
Verification for right-of-way compensation began over the weekend at HYPREP’s liaison office in Kpor, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State. Beneficiaries described the exercise as transparent and expressed gratitude to HYPREP and the Federal Government for the initiative.
In a related effort, HYPREP also launched a biodiversity and ecosystem preservation scheme by distributing clean energy cooking stoves to residents in eight Gokana communities. Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, represented by the agency’s legal adviser, Ichibor Joseph, said the pilot scheme was designed to discourage the use of firewood and protect mangroves under restoration across Ogoniland.
HYPREP’s mangrove restoration officer, Uche Izuchukwu, explained that the clean stove initiative was aimed at sustainability, noting that cutting mangroves for firewood could undermine restoration progress.
Some recipients of the stoves said the initiative would reduce smoke-related health issues. One beneficiary, Lezi Lene, said the stoves would particularly help the elderly, who often suffer eye problems from years of cooking with firewood.
