$360m Ogoni Cleanup: Senate Threatens To Arrest HYPREP Coordinator For Shunning 7 Invites

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

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (SDP, Nasarawa West), issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja after the project coordinator failed to appear before the panel for the seventh consecutive time.

LEADERSHIP recalls that HYPREP had disclosed in November 2023 that $360 million had been released for the cleanup of the polluted Ogoniland in the Niger Delta region.

Expressing frustration over the coordinator’s absence, Senator Wadada told journalists: “The Senate Public Accounts Committee, pursuant to its constitutional and legislative powers to ensure value for money, anchored on the good governance principles of transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, economy, and accountability, commenced an inquiry into the activities of HYPREP under the Federal Ministry of Environment regarding the Ogoniland cleanup.

“Despite several invitations sent to HYPREP, the project coordinator has persistently, over the past two years, flagrantly refused to honour legislative invitations to account for its dealings.

“Instead, he submits very late requests for rescheduling meetings, which he has then refused to attend—culminating in his seventh failure to appear before the committee today.

“These issues, for which the committee is seeking explanations, include: Reasons why the project coordinator has refused to honour the committee’s invitations.

“Explanations regarding appropriations for the project and other intervention funds.

“Details of how much has been received from the federal government and the utilization of appropriations in the 2022 budget, including an additional N6.6 billion in 2023 for undocumented contaminated and abandoned sites, as well as utilization details for 2024 provisions.

“Evidence of remittance to the Federal Inland Revenue Service for value-added tax and withholding tax from 2022 to 2024.

“The general and current state of the Ogoniland cleanup.”

He added: “In the spirit of fairness, the committee has resolved to extend the deadline for the project coordinator to appear before it to February 4, 2025. Failure to do so will lead to the activation of relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to compel his appearance.”

Earlier, while detailing the project’s coordinator’s repeated absences, Senator Wadada stated: “The first invitation was on December 18, 2023, followed by January 15, 2024; January 28, 2024; February 28, 2024; March 5, 2024; May 22, 2024; and now, January 28, 2025, making it the seventh time he has failed to appear before the committee.”