As part of efforts to bring development to the Niger Delta region, the ministry of environment has unveiled the application portal for the ‘Livelihood Programme’ under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
The ministry stated that the project is anchored on legal instruments and international obligations in line with a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
It said that it is focused on cleaning, remediating, and restoring polluted environments, not only in Ogoniland, but the rest of the Niger Delta and beyond.
It will be recalled that the UNEP had earlier conducted an independent assessment of the environment and public health impact of oil contamination in Ogoniland, and options for remediation, at the request of the federal government.
The report detailed high levels of hydrocarbon pollution in the groundwater across 41 sites plus the degradation of wetlands and oil pollution in farmlands.
In response, President Muhammadu Buhari in a memo dated April 28, 2022 had directed the minister of environment to effect the clean-up with urgency, and that birthed the Livelihood Programme.
Some of the areas to be covered during the programme include: mechatronics and instrumentation, creative arts, aviation, and seafaring.
Application for the programme is currently ongoing and will close August 30th.
Interested persons can apply here.