Ogoni Clean-up: Senate Threatens HYPREP Coordinator With Arrest Warrant

The Nigerian Senate, through its Public Accounts Committee, has threatened the project coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, with a warrant of arrest if he fails to appear before it on Tuesday next week (February 4, 2025).

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed, made the threat on Tuesday after the failure of the project coordinator to appear before the panel for the 7th consecutive time.

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project disclosed in November 2023 that $360 million has been released for the clean-up of the polluted Ogoni land in the Niger Delta.

Irked by the behaviour of the project coordinator, Senator Wadada, in his address to journalists, said, “The Senate Public Accounts Committee, under its constitutional and legislative powers of ensuring value for money, anchored on the good governance principles of transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, economy, and accountability, commenced an inquiry into the activities of the hydrocarbon pollution remediation project under the Federal Ministry of Environment as it regards the Ogoniland cleanup.

“Concerned that several invitations had been sent to HYPREP to appear and give explanations to issues arising from its submission on the status of its operations, the committee is concerned that the project coordinator has persistently, in the course of the last two years, and flagrantly refused to honour legislative invitations to account for its dealings by turning in very late requests for rescheduling of meetings, which he had refused to attend for the 7th time today.

“These dealings or issues for which the committee is seeking explanations bother on the following: Explain or give reasons why the project coordinator refused to honour the committee’s invitations.

“Give explanations on appropriations for the project and other intervention funds.

“How much has been received from the federal government? Details of the utilization of appropriations in the 2022 budget. An additional sum of N6.6 billion in 2023 for some undocumented, contaminated, abandoned sites. Details of the utilization of 2024 provisions.

“Provide evidence of remittance to the Federal Inland Revenue Service on value-added tax and withholding tax for the years 2022 to 2024. General and current state of the Ogoniland cleanup.

“However, in the spirit of liberality, the committee resolves to give up to the 4th of February, 2025, for the project coordinator to unfailingly appear before it or risk activation of relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to compel him for the required appearance.”

The Chairman of the Committee had earlier, while chronicling the failed appearances of the project coordinator before the committee, said: “The first was on the 18th of December 2023, the second was on the 15th of January 2024, the third was on the 28th of January 2024, the fourth was on the 28th of February 2024, the fifth was on the 5th of March 2024, the sixth was on the 22nd of May 2024, and the 7th time of failing to appear before the committee is today, the 28th of January 2025.”