BREAKING NEWS: HYPREP, WHO begin biometric screening of Ogoni people for cancer

World Health Organisation

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency under the World Health Organisation, have launched a three-year Public Health Study to probe the health impacts of hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

The HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, speaking at the kick-off meeting with the IARC team in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, said the initiative was in tandem with the key recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme report on Ogoniland, which highlighted the need for a long-term, focused medical study to track health impacts across the Ogoni population.

Prof Zabbey noted that the study was to conduct a comprehensive health risk assessment linked to hydrocarbon pollution, build capacity for local health professionals, and provide clear recommendations for public health responses based on findings.

While noting that community involvement is a key component of the project, he said, “Community leaders, civil society groups, and health institutions must be brought into this process from the outset to ensure trust, ownership, and relevance.”

Prof Zabbey further said the project would prioritise transparency, continuous stakeholder engagement, and ethical compliance throughout the study.

“HYPREP will provide necessary technical, logistical, and institutional support to facilitate smooth project implementation. The project schedule will be jointly reviewed and finalised, and a steering and technical coordination team will be established to oversee the study.

“The study is expected to drive policy interventions, public health planning, and long-term monitoring of the Ogoni population’s well-being. The outcomes of the project will be credible, actionable, and globally recognized, thanks to IARC’s international expertise and scientific rigour,” the HYPREP boss stated.

Continuing, Zabbey said the project was expected to bring healing, hope, and progress to the Ogoni land and beyond, saying, “In addition to the public health study, HYPREP is constructing the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, which will feature state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including cutting-edge MRI machines. This facility will significantly improve healthcare services in the region.”

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, the leader of the IARC team, Dr Joachim Schuz, said the study aimed to provide concrete evidence of the impact of environmental pollution on the health of the people.

According to Dr Schuz, “We do not want to be speculating, we need to show it, we need to prove what is going on beneath,” even as he explained that the study would collect blood samples from approximately 4,000 people to measure the levels of hydrocarbon exposure and assess the damage already caused.

He added that they will also gather information on the living conditions of the people, including their exposure to pollutants and other health risks.

Schuz called on the people of Ogoniland to participate in the study, which is expected to provide valuable information for public health planning and disease prevention.

A member of the team, Mike Cowing, said samples would be taken from areas where groundwater and crops were contaminated with hydrocarbons.

Ann Oisson, another member of the medical team, noted that children could be affected differently from adults due to their smaller body size and higher exposure levels.

She explained that the team was working to ensure that the study was representative of the entire Ogoni population, with a focus on finding solutions to sample representatives from the four local government areas that make up Ogoni land.