Senate Threatens to Arrest HYPREP Coordinator Over Repeated Absences Regarding Ogoni Cleanup
The Senate’s Public Accounts Committee has threatened to issue a warrant for the arrest of Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, the project coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), if he fails to appear before the panel on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (SDP, Nasarawa West), Chairman of the Committee, issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja after Professor Zabbey failed to attend the meeting for the seventh time in a row.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project was allocated $360 million for the cleanup of Ogoniland in the Niger Delta, a project that HYPREP has been overseeing. In November 2023, the project was highlighted as a critical environmental effort, but despite multiple invitations, the project’s coordinator has not appeared to provide the necessary updates and accountability.
Senator Wadada expressed frustration with the repeated absences, stating: “The Senate Public Accounts Committee, exercising its constitutional and legislative powers to ensure transparency and accountability, initiated an inquiry into HYPREP’s activities under the Federal Ministry of Environment, specifically regarding the Ogoniland cleanup.”
He continued, “Despite several invitations, the project coordinator has refused to honor the committee’s requests over the past two years, submitting late requests to reschedule meetings, which he ultimately fails to attend. His seventh consecutive failure to appear today is unacceptable.”
The Committee is seeking explanations from the project coordinator on several critical issues, including the reasons behind the repeated absences, details of funds allocated for the project, and how these funds have been utilized since 2022. The inquiry also includes questions on tax remittances to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and an update on the current status of the Ogoniland cleanup.
In response to the coordinator’s continued noncompliance, Senator Wadada announced that the committee would give one final extension, setting a deadline for the coordinator to appear on February 4, 2025. He warned that failure to comply would lead to the activation of the constitutional provisions necessary to compel his attendance.
The project coordinator’s absences have been documented as follows: the first invitation was issued on December 18, 2023, followed by subsequent invitations on January 15, 2024; January 28, 2024; February 28, 2024; March 5, 2024; May 22, 2024; and January 28, 2025, marking the seventh time he has failed to attend the committee’s meeting.
