The President-General of Ogoni Youth Federation (OYF), Comrade Legborsi Yamaabana while addressing the management of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) during an Ogoni Youth interactive session with HYPREP in Port Harcourt on 17th June 2022, regretted that Bangha Community was conspicuously omitted from communities to benefit from the proposed Ogoni water project despite being an oil-producing community. He urged HYPREP to include Bangha Community and other excluded communities in their water project design in the overall interest of all stakeholders.
Comrade Yamaabana also demanded a review of the profile of HYPREP contractors and their employment casualization scheme for Ogoni youths with a view to exposing the flagrant violation of Section 7 of the Labour Act, Cap L1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 by HYPREP and its contractors. Noting that Ogoni youths working with HYPREP contractors are neither paid evenly nor given employment letters even after several years.
The Ogoni Youth Leader urged HYPREP to use money from the Ogoni Trust Fund to send Ogoni students on foreign scholarships, positing that the Ogoni of our dream can only be achieved through equipping our youths with quality education.
He warned that Ogoni Youths are running out of patience with HYPREP and requested that any further award of contracts by HYPREP without observing local content principles shall be vehemently resisted.
Signed:
Lene Kingsley Lekue, Esq.
Publicity Secretary, OYF
