The people of Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State have urged President Bola Tinubu to review the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) as contained in the State House release on Monday.
They disclosed this in an open letter to the President on the appointment of Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah to head the BoT of the project.
The document was signed by Kinem Nicholas of the Ogoni Chiefs and Elders Forum, Theophilus Dike of the Concerned Ogoni Elders Forum, Comrade Imeabe Saviour Oscar of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, Bariakkara Nugbara of the Coalition of Ogoni Youths Leadership Forum, Suka Barizaa of the Ogoni Mothers of Charity, and others.
The people noted that the president intended to re-appoint the immediate past BoT chairman, Dr Mike Nwielaghi. Still, some cabinet members manipulated the process and inserted Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah.
They observed that if the president had intended to appoint Deeyah, it would have been a fresh appointment, but stating re-appointment in the State House Release showed the intention to return Nwielaghi.
It read: “We have received the news of the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) with mixed feelings. While we appreciate your ongoing commitment to cleaning up our polluted environment, we are deeply concerned that genuine efforts to bring transformation, development, and healing to Ogoniland are repeatedly undermined by petty political interference.
“The previous Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Dr. Mike Nwielaghi, performed remarkably well in delivering on your Renewed Hope mandate. The Ogoni people were satisfied with their work, and OYDI formally conveyed a Vote of Confidence to your office, urging their re-appointment to ensure continuity.
Shockingly, efforts are heightened to truncate this momentum instead of building on that success.
“From the State House release, it is clear that you intend to re-appoint Dr. Mike Nwielaghi as HYPREP’s BoT Chairman. Yet, we are informed that certain politicians have hijacked the process, replacing his name with Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah, a staunch loyalist of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike. This substitution does not reflect your decision, but appears to be the handiwork of individuals seeking to serve personal political interests.
“Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah has never served as BoT Chairman, making the description of his “re-appointment” in the release both inaccurate and misleading. HYPREP, at this critical stage, requires leaders who are tested, trusted, and deeply knowledgeable about the remediation process. For the UNEP cleanup targets to be met, appointments must be based on competence and integrity, not political patronage.”
The letter stated that the Ogoni struggle is bigger than politics or personal ambition, noting that the return of Nwielaghi to continue with his leadership would not only sustain the cleanup’s momentum but also strengthen the political goodwill in the region ahead of 2027.
They noted that some individuals in the president’s cabinet were working for their interests, stating that the people of Ogoni would give more support to the President if the decision were reviewed.
It read further: “We are deeply worried that certain cabinet members, particularly the Minister of the FCT, are working to undermine the Presidency’s development agenda in Ogoni and the Niger Delta at large, instead of building political structures that could be deployed against you in the future. We urge you to check such activities to safeguard your 2027 prospects immediately.
“Your Excellency, if the will and support of the Ogoni people are important to you, we respectfully request that you reverse the recent announcement and restore the re-appointment of Dr. Mike Nwielaghi as BoT Chairman of HYPREP. Any new appointment, for instance, Hon. Emmanuel Deeyah, should be classified as an appointment and not a re-appointment. It is crystal clear that the President re-appointed Dr. Mike Nwielaghi, but the same was edited and replaced with Emmanuel Deeyah.
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