Women’s participation in Nigeria’s Ogoni environmental cleanup has risen ninefold in three years, according to the Hydrocarbon Pollution Rehabilitation Project (HYPREP).
The agency says women now account for 45 per cent of participation in the programme, up from just 5 per cent in 2023, as efforts continue to make the long-running remediation exercise more inclusive and sustainable.
HYPREP Project Coordinator Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey disclosed the figures on Wednesday in Port Harcourt during the project’s third quarterly meeting for 2026 involving regulators, asset owners and other key stakeholders.
HYPREP Shifts Focus to People and Ecosystems
Zabbey said the cleanup was being carried out through a human-centred, multi-stakeholder model, designed to ensure that environmental restoration produces lasting benefits for both Ogoni communities and the ecosystem.
He said the approach was guided by the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment of Ogoniland.
Regular consultations with regulators, oil asset owners, civil society organisations and community stakeholders, he added, were essential for tracking progress and resolving problems that could slow the project.
The latest meeting also coincided with activities marking 10 years of the Ogoni cleanup programme.
Mangrove Restoration Takes Centre Stage
HYPREP says it has made substantial progress restoring Ogoni’s mangrove ecosystem.
Zabbey urged stakeholders to protect the Ogoni mangrove wetland, which has been recognised as a Ramsar site of international importance.
He also called for greater development of ecotourism.
The argument is straightforward: protecting the region’s biodiversity could also create new economic opportunities for local communities.
Healthcare Programme Expands
HYPREP says its intervention has extended beyond the environmental recommendations contained in the UNEP assessment.
According to Zabbey, four health facilities have been upgraded with modern equipment and solar power systems, while five fully equipped ambulances have been supplied to improve emergency response and patient referrals.
He highlighted the impact of the solar installation at Onne Health Centre, saying the facility had maintained uninterrupted electricity since the system was installed in February.
HYPREP has also completed a 43-bed cottage hospital at Buwa. The facility is awaiting the deployment of healthcare personnel by the Rivers State Government before it can begin operations.
Meanwhile, construction of the Ogoni Specialist Hospital is about 80 per cent complete, according to Zabbey.
The facility is expected to include an oncology unit for cancer screening and treatment.
New MRI and Cancer Care Planned
Zabbey said HYPREP plans to equip the specialist hospital with a high-end MRI scanner.
He disclosed that officials had inspected the equipment in Germany and described it as one of the most advanced MRI machines available in Nigeria.
The development is expected to strengthen access to specialist diagnostic services in the region once the hospital becomes operational.
Three-Year Health Study Underway
HYPREP has also commissioned the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to undertake a comprehensive three-year study of the health of people living in Ogoni.
Zabbey said the research has entered its second year, with blood samples already being collected.
The study is intended to provide deeper evidence about the health conditions of communities affected by decades of environmental pollution.
Flooding and Land Disputes Slow Remediation
Despite the progress, HYPREP faces significant obstacles.
Zabbey identified flooding and communal land disputes as two major challenges affecting remediation work.
Heavy rainfall has inundated some sites, particularly those located in flood-prone areas, forcing remediation activities to pause.
Certain treatment processes cannot safely continue while the sites are underwater, he explained.
HYPREP plans to accelerate work once the rainy season ends in an effort to recover lost time.
Land disputes
The agency is taking a mediation-based approach to communal disputes rather than relying on force.
Zabbey said community leaders and members of conflict-resolution structures were being trained in dispute-management techniques to help resolve disagreements that could obstruct cleanup activities.
Former Artisanal Refiners Get New Skills
HYPREP is also attempting to address one of the threats that could undermine remediation: re-pollution caused by illegal refining and oil theft.
Zabbey said the agency had brought former artisanal refiners into its intervention programmes and was training hundreds of them in commercial diving and underwater welding.
The goal is to provide alternative skills that can open employment opportunities in the oil and gas and maritime industries.
HYPREP is also training 300 people living with special needs in five skill areas selected by the beneficiaries themselves.
The coordinator said the project was determined to ensure that vulnerable groups were not excluded from the benefits of the cleanup.
Civil Society Backs Community-Centred Approach
Dr Nabie Nubari, coordinator of the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), praised HYPREP’s community-focused strategy.
He said civil society organisations were more willing to support the programme because of the agency’s engagement with affected communities.
Nubari also stressed the importance of preventing fresh pollution while existing contamination is being cleaned up.
His warning was essentially this: remediation cannot succeed if pollution continues at the same time.
He commended HYPREP for what he described as progress in reducing re-pollution and pledged CEHRD’s continued support.
The Bigger Goal
HYPREP says the Ogoni cleanup is intended to achieve more than the restoration of contaminated land.
The agency wants the project to become a model for cleaning up other polluted communities across Nigeria, while creating healthcare, environmental and economic benefits for people living in affected areas.
That makes collaboration critical.
Zabbey urged regulators, asset owners, civil society groups and other stakeholders to remain engaged, arguing that the success of the Ogoni remediation programme ultimately serves the wider public interest.