The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) says it is collaborating with the Drosophila Institute, University of Ibadan, on the latest research that will alleviate the impact of hydrocarbon contamination on Ogoni people.

Nenibarini Zabbey, project coordinator at HYPREP, communicated this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

He said the collaboration would also contribute significantly to advancing the knowledge of medicine in relation to hydrocarbon contamination globally.

Mr Zabbey said the project was implementing the UNEP Report based on the needs of the Ogoni people.

“We feel it is important to advance access to medicare; we will continue to do our best to broaden the scope of our interventions based on the needs of the people while also implementing the UNEP Report.

“We are implementing all the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report and going outside to do what is necessary following the emergence of new things.

“We are doing extra things, including research and building the Ogoni Specialist Hospital,” he stated.

According to him, the project is providing value addition in its public health interventions beyond the recommendations of the UNEP Report on Ogoni.

He said HYPREP carried out free medical outreach and surgical operations on patients with several ailments, including cataracts, hernias, and fibroids, at the Nchia General Hospital.

“HYPREP free medical outreach, which commenced on December 16, is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that has recorded a huge number of beneficiaries across four local government areas,” he said.

At the federal government’s request, UNEP has conducted an independent assessment of the environmental and public health impacts of oil contamination in Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta and options for remediation.

(NAN)