Nigeria is taking a place on the global stage as a delegation from the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, participates in the ongoing Global Biennial Cleanup 2026 Conference in Adelaide, Australia.
The conference, scheduled from September 13 to 17, brings together experts and policymakers working on environmental remediation from different parts of the world. The Nigerian team is led by Balarabe Lawal, Minister of Environment and Chairman of the HYPREP Governing Board.
Other members of the delegation include Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator of HYPREP, and members of the project’s technical team. Their presence marks a significant outing for the Ogoni cleanup programme.
At the event, Lawal delivered the prestigious opening Brian Robinson Lecture on the topic, “Protecting People and Planet: Shared Responsibilities and Policy Lessons from Large Scale Remediation in Ogoniland.”
In his address, he highlighted the scale and complexity of the remediation work undertaken by HYPREP in Ogoniland over the past decade, outlining lessons that could inform similar efforts elsewhere.
On the programme for Wednesday, September 16, Zabbey is expected to deliver the opening lecture for the African Session of the conference, further placing Nigeria’s experience at the centre of continental discussions.
On the sidelines of the conference, the delegation held strategic meetings with Australia’s National Environmental Protection Agency, Shimadzu Corporation and Agilent Technologies. The talks focused on partnerships that could strengthen HYPREP’s technical and analytical capacity.
The team had earlier been in Canberra, where it met with three Australian ministers to discuss environmental management, sustainability and international cooperation. The engagements are projected to position the Ogoni cleanup as an emerging model for large-scale environmental restoration and global best practice.
