CROSS SECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
PREAMBLE
Civil Society Organization’s (CSOs) in a meeting organized by Society for Women and Youths Affairs with support from Global Green Grant Fund met in Port Harcourt in a one-day meeting held on the 5th February, 2019 at #5 Uyo Street, Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt to discuss the non-implementation of emergency measures recommended by UNEP in 2009. About 15 participants were drawn from different Civil Society Organizations within the Niger Delta.
The objective of the meeting was to raise voices from the civil society community and come up with advocacy brief for engagement with HYPREP and other key stakeholders for the immediate implementation of the emergency measures in highly impacted communities.
Dr David Vereba was the facilitator.
The Executive Director of Society for Women and Youth Affairs, Mrs Stella Amanie in her opening remark thanked participants for honoring the invitation to chat a way forward on the implementation of emergency measures of UNEP report. She expressed how elated she was to have them on a table for discussion on the issue of portable provision of water and health of people leaving in highly polluted communities in Ogoniland and charged participants to brainstorm on the emergency issues affecting the vulnerable communities and find sustainable solutions on best way of engaging key stakeholders responsible for the implementation.
She finally said that she is confident that from the wealth of experiences of members of CSOs community they would come up with a position that will be impactful at the end of the meeting.
ISSUES AROUND THE EMERGENCY MEASURES
The facilitator, Dr David Vereba took time to explained the objective of the meeting to participants and asked them to come up with civilized ways of engaging with HYPREP to ensure they implement the emergency measures without delay.
Responding, Pius Dukor, the Execuhutive Director of Pius Dukor Foundation expressed his disappointment about the high level of insensitivity and lack of capacity demonstrated by HYPREP to implement the emergency measures and suggested that a counter radio program be run a day after HYPREP call in program on every Tuesday and that a non-violent and peaceful protest should be done by CSOs to demand for the immediate provision of portable water for highly impacted communities.
Also speaking, Nelly Uworen who represented the Kebetkache Organization expressed serious worried about the long delay of the emergency intervention. She categorically said the women are most affected because of their domestic roles in the family and suggested that more women be mobilized to take action from the community.
The Executive Director of KALLOP Centre, Mr Anthony Aalo opined that hospitals in each local government should be equipped to do the health assessment of Ogoni people because of the dangers associated with benzene exposure.
TomBari Dumka-Kote of T2W Foundation on his part frowned at the poor performance of HYPREP especially in the area of the emergency measures and their deliberate refusal to make available the time line to implement the Emergency Measures. He suggested that one of the ways out for HYPREP is to open up to more innovations that will help them save the lives of the Ogonis. Also talking, a Community based activist, Dr Patient OsaroJiJi from Alode community, Eleme narrated how her community has been suffering the environmental devastation and called on the CSOs to as a matter of urgency use every available means locally and internationally to mobilize voices and prevail on HYPREP to do something urgently before the whole community will be wiped out.
Mr Collins L. Kenneth, a staff of Society for Women and Youth Affairs came up with the opinion that HYPREP needs to declare a special water donation project and partner with CSOs for the quick intervention of the emergency needs of highly impacted community members.
At the end of the discussions around the emergency issues, the facilitator, Dr David Vereba divided participants into two groups for plenary. One group was for water and the other health respectively.
At the end of the plenary, the following recommendations were put forward to address the issues of the non-implementation of emergency measures by HYPREP:
Group 1- Portable Water Provision
Short Term Measures
- HYPREP should as a matter of urgency collaborate with credible water Institutions/factories to begin the immediate supply of clean and portable drinking water to Ogoni communities that are highly impacted.
- HYPREP should also partner with CSOs for the distribution of clean and portable drinking water to highly impacted Ogoni communities till the completion of the long-awaited comprehensive water scheme/facilities.
Long Term Measures
- Put in place a joint team of HYPREP and CSOs to re-evaluate the status of overhead tanks to be used for water storage to ensure fitness for use
- Existing water pipes should be replaced before used for water distribution
- Develop CSOs monitoring framework for the proposed water project
- HYPREP should immediately conclude the procurement process on the water project advertised two years ago
- The Ministry of Environment should immediately relax all bottlenecks on Ogoni water supply
GROUP 2-HEALTH
Short Term
- Open health registry in all health facilities in Ogoni to get health history of all Ogonis
- Equip existing health facilities in Ogoni communities
Long Term
- Equip the Zonal hospital in Ogoni as a specialist hospital for hydrocarbon related diseases.
COMMUNIQUE
At the end of the plenary, participants came up with a 9 points community.
The Executive Director of SWAYA, in her closing remarks thanked participants for their brilliant contributions towards the success of the meeting and encouraged them to use their positions and wealth of experiences to demand, protect and defend the rights of the marginalized in the society from those in authorities for their names to be written in gold.
She finally assured them of taken up the discussion from the level of discussion to implementation especially the engagement with key stakeholders in the clean- up exercise.