…Says he must appear before it unfailingly by February 4, 2025

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — The Senate has threatened to issue a warrant of arrest for Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, the Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), if he fails to appear before its Public Accounts Committee next Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

This warning follows HYPREP’s November 2023 disclosure that $360 million had been released for the cleanup of polluted Ogoniland in the Niger Delta.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, expressed frustration over Professor Zabbey’s persistent refusal to honor the committee’s invitations.

“The Senate Public Accounts Committee, pursuant to 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 HYPREP’s activities under the Federal Ministry of Environment concerning the Ogoniland cleanup,” Senator Wadada stated.

He continued: “Despite numerous invitations, the project coordinator has persistently failed to honor legislative invitations, turning in late rescheduling requests and refusing to attend meetings for the seventh consecutive time today.”

The committee is seeking explanations on several issues, including: Reasons for the coordinator’s refusal to honor Senate invitations. Details of appropriations and intervention funds for the project. Total funds received from the federal government and their utilization in the 2022 budget. Clarification on the additional N6.6 billion allocated in 2023 for undocumented contaminated sites. Evidence of tax remittance from 2022 to 2024. The current state of the Ogoniland cleanup project.

“In the spirit of liberality, the committee resolves to give up to February 4, 2025, for the project coordinator to unfailingly appear before it or risk activation of relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to compel his appearance,” Senator Wadada warned.

He detailed the previous dates on which the coordinator failed to appear: December 18, 2023; January 15, 2024; January 28, 2024; February 28, 2024; March 5, 2024; May 22, 2024; and January 28, 2025.

The committee insisted that accountability and transparency in the Ogoniland cleanup are essential to ensure the funds are appropriately utilized for environmental restoration.