The Federal Government has said it will connect the entire Ogoni land in Rivers State to the national grid, even as it decries the slow pace of the clean-up of oil-polluted sites there.

The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, disclosed this during a town hall meeting with Ogoni stakeholders, including monarchs, local government chairmen and youths in Tai Local Government Area on Thursday.

Abdullahi said connecting Ogoni to the national grid was part of efforts to expand the objectives of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project.

The move, he said, was imperative in order to supply power to all the water infrastructure built by HYPREP in Ogoni land as well as for economic growth and sustainability in the area.

“Apart from the remediation that is being done by HYPREP, there is also the water project that we are working on.  We realised that for the water project to be sustainable, there must be an enduring power supply.

“So the Federal Government is expanding the objectives of the project mandate of HYPREP to ensure that the entire Ogoni land is linked to the national grid.”

“So this electricity project would power the water projects around Ogoni land and also power small-scale industries so that cottage industries can flourish for employment of young people,” the minister stated.

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Responding on behalf of the people, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers, HRM Godwin Giniwa, expressed optimism that the new minister would implement the UNEP report in line with international specifications

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