Ogoni cleanup: NASS summons environment Minister, HYPREP

The National Assembly Joint Panel on Host Communities has again summoned Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi and the Management of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) over their refusal to appear before the panel despite several invitations.

Abdullahi is expected to give explanations for his Ministry’s failure to clean up Ogoni land despite payment of $1 billion for the project.

The Ogoni cleanup is a hydrocarbon remediation project by the Muhammadu Buhari administration based on its promise to deliver a clean ecosystem to the Ogoni people in Rivers State with the support of the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP).

Chairman of the National Assembly Joint Panel, Degi Eremienyo expressed disappointment that the Ministry of Environment has failed to appear before the Committee to brief the National Assembly members about the project while alleging the Minister of concealing information.

He said:” I express my displeasure totally, frown at the attitude of the minister and also the projector coordinator in demonstrating constantly disrespect, disregard for the institution of the parliament because like I said, this is not the first invitation.

“We had invited them about three times and they have evaded engagement with the parliament.

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“For me, it is an appearance of concealment of information to us, to incapacitate us to go for effective discharge of our duties as a parliament to oversight the activities of HYPREP.

“It also shows the appearance of incompetence, the appearance of bad governance; shows appearance of insensitivity. We will not take this from the executive. Particularly with the Ministry of Environment that is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of running the affairs of HYPREP.

“We commend the federal government for conceptualizing this idea as a follow-up to the UN report on the cleanup of Ogoni, and of course, the story of degradation and pollution of the Niger Delta is an old story for it is always fresh. It is always fresh because the situation and experience continue unabated in the Niger Delta. It is very unfortunate.

“This project is very important to the people of the Niger Delta, it is a pilot project that is supposed to be replicated in the other part of the Niger Delta but apparently it is not working the way it is expected to work.

“It is on that note that I, as the chairman of the committee also give my endorsement and support to the motion that the Minister and of course the project coordinator and the management team of the project should be summoned to appear before this joint committee.”

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