The world’s largest clean-up and restoration effort in a tropical mangrove environment will commence in July at Bodo-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Two reputable international firms have already been contracted for the clean-up of the polluted area.
The companies emerged from a transparent and competitive technical bidding process, which started in July 2014.
The clean-up was disclosed yesterday in Port Harcourt at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with representatives of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Bodo community and other stakeholders.
SPDC and Bodo community reached an agreement on the modalities and scope of the clean-up, remediation and restoration of the environment, devastated by the 2008 oil spills in the area.
The agreement followed mediation efforts by a former Ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria, Bert Ronhaar and the National Coalition on Gas Flaring and Oil Spills in the Niger Delta (NACGOND) headed then by Inemo Samiama.
SPDC’s General Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations, Igo Weli, signed the MoU on behalf of the oil giant while the team leader of Bodo, Prof. John Alawa, signed for the community.
A former Chairman of the Provisional Council of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Prof. Ben Naanen, and Ambassador of Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. John Groffen, witnessed the signing ceremony.
Ronhaar said: “By signing the MoU, the Bodo community and SPDC have successfully concluded the first phase of the mediation process, which has recorded a number of concrete results so far.
“The shoreline of and the creeks in and around Bodo, an area of approximately 1000 hectares, are at this stage still heavily impacted by two oil spills in 2008, for which SPDC has acknowledged responsibility.
“The Bodo community and SPDC have mutually agreed to take the clean-up, remediation and restoration out of the now-concluded litigation process.”
He noted that the remediation process was financially supported by the Embassy of Netherlands in Nigeria, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) and UNEP.
Ronhaar pointed out that the Nigerian Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) also provided valuable guidance.
Weli said the people of the community were quite pleased to note that SPDC agreed to clean up the oil-polluted environment and the Bodo creeks, while expressing gratitude to the Netherlands embassy in Nigeria for helping to facilitate the entire process.
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