It was a remarkable and memorable day for the people of Ogoni in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The ray of hope for a better environment was kindled again for the inhabitants of the oil rich community, after about 3 decades of pollution and severe environmental degradation due to oil spillage which has hampered the soil, water and aquatic lives and also denied them access to potable water and arable land. The soil is no longer suitable for agriculture and the water which is their main source of livelihood through fishing has been left desolate and inhabitable for aquatic lives. 

The federal government of Nigeria on the 2^nd of June flagged off the long awaited clean-up of the land. The $1 Billion project was flagged off by the President of Nigeria and the minister of environment  in a grand style.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, the cleanup of the land will take about 30yeas to complete. The report further pointed out that a combination of approaches will be considered, ranging from active intervention for cleaning the top soil and replanting mangrove to passive monitoring of natural regeneration for the clean-up.

The UNEP expressed the optimism that if the recommendations contained in its report could be implemented, they would have an immediate and positive impact on Ogoniland.

According to the report, ?The Ogoni people live with this pollution every minute of every day, 365 days a year. Since average life expectancy in Nigeria is less than 50 years, it is a fair assumption that most members of the current Ogoniland community have lived with chronic oil pollution throughout their lives. ?Children born in Ogoniland soon sense oil pollution as the odour of hydrocarbons pervades the air day in, day out. Oil continues to spill from periodic pipeline fractures and the illegal practice of artisanal refining, contaminating creeks and soil, staining and killing vegetation and seeping metres deep into ground, polluting water tables.
?Smoke from artisanal refining is a daily presence and fire close to inhabited areas is a constant threat from pools of oil which gather after a spill due to corrosion or bunkering or where artisanal refining of crude oil takes place,? the report said.

It further read: ?Due to the wide extent of contamination in Ogoniland and nearby areas, and the varying degrees of degradation, there will not be one single clean-up technique appropriate for the entire area.? ?A combination of approaches will therefore need to be considered, ranging from active intervention for cleaning the top soil and replanting mangrove to passive monitoring of natural regeneration,? the report stated.

The community is also encouraged to take a pro-active stand against theft and refining and also allow access to clean up spills