Home to 20 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, this floodplain makes up 7.5% of Nigeria's total land mass. It is the largest wetland and maintains the third-largest drainage basin in Africa. The Delta's environment can be broken down into four ecological zones: coastal barrier islands, mangrove swamp forests, freshwater swamps, and lowland rainforests. For decades, oil extraction in the Niger Delta has led to wide-scale contamination of the environment. However the full extent and intensity of this contamination was never clear to authorities and the public. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in its desire to internally reconcile the Ogoni people and ensure the clean-up and remediation of past oil impacted sites in Ogoniland, set up a Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) in July 2006 headed by Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah. In view of its competence and experience in conflict and disaster management, as well as its capabilities for unbiased monitoring as a pre-requisite for clean-up and remediation work, the President Obasanjo Administration commissioned the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to carry out an Environmental Assessment Study of the oil impacted sites in Ogoniland. UNEP eventually commenced the Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland, which lasted from 20092011. The last administration, in a bid to implement the UNEP report established the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) as a vehicle for the Ogoniland and other impacted areas in the Niger Delta region. A gazette to this effect was to put in place in July, 2014. Further to the need for extensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders, preliminary meetings were held in September and October, 2014 in Abuja, Nigeria. This was followed by meeting of stakeholders in Geneva, Switzerland in November, 2014 and another meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on 23rd June, 2015 and 28th – 29th July, 2015. Oversight: - On 16 September 2016, the Governing Council held its inaugural meeting in Port Harcourt. On 21 October the Board of Trustees held its inaugural meeting in Abuja. Management: - A Technical Committee set up in the Ministry of Environment is driving the transition process pending the establishment of the Project Coordination Office. Temporary premises have been secured for the Project Coordination Office in Port Harcourt. Consultative meeting with international development partners hosted by the World Bank on 6 September 2016. Advertisement for the project coordinator position has closed. Hundreds of applicants were received. The recruitment process is currently ongoing. Projects: - From 28 August to 2 September, 4 ad-hoc committees comprising representatives of Ogoni local communities met and issued reports on: emergency (interim) Measures; Training and livelihood; selection of location of the Centre of Excellence and the integrated Contaminated Soil Management Centre; Communications Centre. Based on the above, the following projects have been identified for immediate implementation: - provision of clean drinking water; training; centre of excellence; integrated soil management centre; pilot remediation project; health study. Procurement: - Ongoing Procurement: - To drive these and upcoming projects, procurement for the following services is currently ongoing: project management consultants; monitoring and evaluation consultants; communications consultants. Upcoming Procurement: - Fund management 133