* Environmental issues are taking dangerous dimensions- Chidoka
The Minister of State for Environment Mr Ibrahim Usman Jibril has said that the Federal Executive Council has approved the sum of $200 million while only $177 million has been released for the clean up of the environmental pollution in Ogoni land in Rivers State.
This is as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Habitat Hon. Obinna Chidoka has lamented that environmental issues such as pollution, erosion and environmental degredation are assuming dangerous dimensions in many parts of the country.
The Minister made the revelation on Monday during an investigative hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment at the National Assembly.
Jibril said that out of the total sum of $200 million approved by the Federal Executive Council FEC, only $177 million has been released by the Ministry of Finance while a balance of $23 million is still left as balance with the ministry for the implementation of the project.
He told the Committee that the Ministry of Environment came up with a blueprint and recommended a $200,000 million be approved for the clean up exercise and added that $177 million has been paid to the ministry’s escrow account.
He further told the Committee that the the ministry has awarded the contact for the clean up exercise to Hyprep as the National Project Coordinator and added that regrettably the pace of work on the clean up had been slow.
The Minister however assured the Committee that the Ministerial Tenders Board would meet tentatively next week to take a final decision of the commencement of the clean up exercise.
On the challenges being faced by the ministry for the kick-off of the project, he said that public perception of the people is one of the greatest challenges of the smooth take off of the project.
In his remarks at the hearing, Chairman of the House Committee Hon. Obinna Chidoka said that environmental issues are assuming an alarming dimension in the country that requires everybody’s attention.
Chidoka and other some lawmakers notably Hon. Uzoma Abonta (Abia,PDP) said that the amount of public funds already expended on preliminary work on the clean up of the project does not match the public expectation on the project.