By Joseph Uwakwe, Port Harcourt
A community-based civil society organisation, the Ogoni Environment Watch, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Sharon Ikeazor, over the appointment of Dr. Ferdinand Giadom as Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
The group, in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, said appointment of Giadom into HYPREP was a direct response to agitations of Ogoni people who had clamored for an indigenous Project coordinator.
The statement, which was signed the group’s Convener, Dae Stephen Degbara, said: “We believe that by this appointment, your desire is not to jeopardise the Ogoni clean-up exercise, but that HYPREP should to succeed in Ogoniland.
“Hence the appointment of Dr Giadom was a direct response to agitations of Ogoni people who had clamored for an indigenous Project coordinator, one with requisite qualifications who has been part of the making of the UNEP report and understands the importance of implementing all recommendations therein, to the satisfaction of the Ogoni people.”
The organization however said it had uncovered plots by the Minister of State to derail the ongoing clean up of Ogoni environment, through the award of contracts.
The statement reads in part: “Honourable Minister, inspite of this commendable appointment, we are however taken aback by your recent suspicious actions which seems to us unpatriotic, un-procedural and obviously not in consonance with the expectations of Ogoni People on HYPREP, and not with an intent that you truly love Ogoni people as we had thought.
“Such wrongs, we have observed are as follows. We are surprised; you brought in only a company to make presentation to members of the Board of Trustees and Governing Council for the purpose of awarding contract for the building of the Integrated Contaminated Soil Management Centre.
“This is happening when the procurement process and bidding for such projects is yet to be opened and the company has not been pre-qualified for the job. This is against the public procurement act, but for personal gains, you deliberately excluded other companies, particularly local Ogoni companies, denying them bidding rights and opportunity.
“That you singlehandedly extended invitation to a particular company raises questions of your ability to genuinely and sincerely drive the success of the Ogoni Clean-up Project because your actions clearly show bias and insincerity, which justified our suspicious why you redeployed all staff in the procurement office at HYPREP.”
