… ‘We are doing projects for all of Ogoni’, HYPREP spokesman
…Neutral voices say there is some sense in Nubari’s outcry
Some voices which seemed suppressed for years have cried out at last over the $1bn Ogoni cleanup and how or where the benefits of the Ogoni struggle are going.
In the week, a group said to be mostly kinsmen of Ken Saro Wiwa, the martyred leader of the Ogoni Struggle, led by Nwaji Nubari De-Senior, a man said to be a strong grassroots leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), told newsmen that they can no longer keep quiet.
On the contrary, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), has reacted, saying the project must not be reduced to clannish arguments, saying the Agency looks at all of Ogoni in dishing out benefits and projects.
Nubari, speaking for MOSOP and Bane community said their heads and hearts are right now turning in the face of monumental injustice against Bane area, the community Saro-Wiwa came from, in Khana LGA area of Rivers State.
He said the heart bleeds when they realise that it is the children of those who stood against the Ogoni Struggle that are now dictating how the fruits of the Struggle are shared. He said Bane community has deliberately pushed off the scale of relevance.
The bitterest, he said, is that the nurse known to be the one that bathed the body of Saro-Wiwa with acid and those who led soldiers from house to house to identify MOSOP leaders appear to be the ones being compensated for working against Ogoni in the interest of the Federal Government in terms of award of contracts and location of projects.
Nubari, who said he is not only an Ogoni son, a kinsman of Saro-Wiwa, and also the Vice Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Rivers South-East Senatorial District, said he has been following all MOSOP activities from childhood.
Apparently consumed with fury, Nubari made it clear he knows what he is saying because he is a full time activist. “I’ve been the former National President of the National Ogoni Students, an affiliate of MOSOP. I’ve been the mobilizing officer to late Moses Sarowee Agbaba, the former MOSOP President, and I’ve been actively participating in every MOSOP activity that led to the establishment of HYPREP.
Assessing the cleanup from funding to contracts, to remediation activities, to addressing the original reasons why the programme was set up, as well as who and where the employment, contract allocation, etc, went to, he simply said: “HYPREP has failed us.”
He said the woeful failing began with the first Project Coordinators who he said did absolutely nothing. He however said: “But, I must commend the present PC, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, for the little effort and contribution he has put in place. At least, his own tenure is quite different from the other two former Programme Coordinators.”
Despite the slight commendation, Nubari said Zabbey has not really touched the lives of the people and has not done enough from the progammes, from the employment, from contracts.
Those enjoying HYPREP:
Pointing fingers, Nubari said most of the people who are running one contract job in HYPREP or the other were those who sabotaged Saro-Wiwa’s struggle.
Going down to uncomfortable details, the activist said: “How can someone who poured acid on Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others be running a contract of N6bn? Imagine those who wear army uniform, who a political party is using to be pointing out the houses of major activists for the government to arrest. They are those doing major contracts. That is the real betrayal.”
He said that is the reason most ordinary people in Ogoni were certain that the agency has failed to some extent. “So, most of those people doing the calling the shots are those who sabotaged the struggle. They are those who went against Ken; those who used soldiers to arrest our people.”
Asked if he was sure the leadership of HYPREP knew about background details of those doing the jobs, the bitter Bane kinsman said: “They know all. They know that no MOSOP activist who really suffered for the struggle is benefitting or is having one major contract in HYPREP or the other. It is their children, the children of those of sabotaged the Struggle, they are the youths benefiting from project. They are the ones eating from what their fathers fought against. That is why you don’t see any improvement in the cleanup process.”
He said there is sabotage. “They are only there for what they will benefit. What will benefit their children, and their unborn children.”
Nubari reaffirmed his earlier claim that there were no full time workers employed from Bane, Saro Wiwa’s area.
“Yes, I was one of those who went to the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja to deliberate for the review template. It is this template they are now using to execute the cleanup. There, we agreed that 50% of slots be given to MOSOP (Ogoni), 30% to the Federal Government, whereas the Federal Government will transfer those on level 13, and 20% for State Government. It is clear that HYPREP never allocated any slot of that employment to Bane community where Ken Saro Wiwa who died for this cause came from.
“Not even one person from Bane is a staff member of HYPREP. I don’t know whether any of them are casual staff now, cleaner or driver, but I’m talking about the main staff.
No HYPREP project in Saro-Wiwa’s hometown:
I want to state that some of them who claim to love Ken are the enemy of Ken. If you go to Bane today, you won’t see any tangible HYPREP project in Bane community where Ken came from. But you go to the town where the enemies of Ken are many, virtually every community has HYPREP projects. Every youth from every community has gone to one training or the other. They have driven one car or the other. In my community, not even one person drives a bicycle as a benefit of cleanup or HYPREP.
“They ensure they exclude us from every benefit in life. And one thing they don’t understand is that MOSOP is a spirit; and you cannot fight spirit. And the spirit is watching them, and the spirit will go after them.”
He rejected the notion that Ogoni contractors had no background in such a level of cleanup, and that could be the reason for Ogoni not being major contractors.
He said: “Some Ogoni contractors have all it takes. But like I said, you see, the Federal Government has not been sincere in the cleanup process. The first question, have they (FG) done their own part of contributions? The answer is no! The Federal Government has not met their own percentage contribution. What they do is, the Ministry will stay in Abuja and award contracts to his brothers and sisters and those in government, and those ones will come here and sublet it to our people here. That’s what has been going on.
Nubari was reminded of the general understanding that the $1bn is to come from the JVC which includes the FG through the NNPC. He responded thus: “The Federal Government is supposed to pay its own quota. They have not done that.
Headship of HYPREP must rotate henceforth:
Nubari said the most painful thing aspect to the Ogoni people is that it is only one kingdom that keeps on producing the Programme Coordinators of HYPREP. “It has been only Gokana Kingdom. We have six kingdoms in Ogoni; Khana Kingdom, we have Nyokhana Kingdom, we have Babbe Kingdom, we have Tai Kingdom, we have Eleme Kingdom.
“And there are eminently qualified persons in those kingdoms that can drive this HYPREP project. But it has been only one kingdom. And that is why some of us have decided that as soon as the present tenure of Prof Zabbey ends next year, he can never return for a second tenure. He can never.
“The next PC must be appointed from any other kingdom. Rotation must begin. The federal character principle must become applicable in HYPREP appointments. It must not be only one, one. This is because all the six kingdoms suffered in the Struggle.
“I call on the Federal Government to look inward and ensure that the cleanup process is done perfectly so that we don’t come back to suffer it tomorrow again.
“Again, I will repeat it, that the Federal Government should begin to look and search for a credible candidate that will take over from Professor Zabbey as the next PC of HYPREP when his tenure runs out.”
HYPREP reacts, points to avalanche of projects:
When contacted on the seemingly weighty allegations against the cleanup scheme, Enuolare Mba-Nwigoh, head of the communications unit of HYPREP, chose to respond on some fundamentals of the exercise, not on point by point of the allegations.
Project inclusivity & core mission
He stated: “First is the fact that the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, otherwise known as the Ogoni Clean-up Project, is a project for the Ogoni people as it is, even if it is a national project. It means that it is designed to benefit the aggregate mass of the Ogoni people, irrespective of communities. Thus, every Ogoni person is entitled to benefit from all the projects of HYPREP, thematic projects.
“The livelihood programme of HYPREP cuts across every community in Ogoni. The water project, of course, is expected to benefit every Ogoni community, including the communities UNEP did not expressly say should benefit. But of course, with over 41 or 42 communities now having access to potable water, it underscores the fact that HYPREP has gone way and above the recommendations of UNEP that had said water should be provided only for impacted communities. So essentially, every HYPREP project clearly is targeted at the people of Ogoni, and we can tell you for free that a critical mass of our people have benefited, are benefiting, and will continue to benefit.”
Infrastructure & environmental restoration
”For instance, the 100-bed Buan Cottage Hospital that is built in Bori, you know, aims at improving access to quality healthcare for the Ogoni people and their environs. The Ogoni power project that is ongoing will provide power for all the communities. Our shoreline areas, our mangrove restoration, being carried out are improving ecosystem recovery in the region.
”We are talking about over 7,000 direct jobs created which is for all Ogoni people. So there is no way we can now begin to reduce a project of this magnitude to a particular community. That will not be fair to the level of commitment and effort we have put in towards the overall development of Ogoni.
“You look at the ‘Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration’ there; it is a legacy project, the pride of the region, and of course, it will attract researchers across the world. And that will not only have far-reaching implications in terms of the fact that Ogoni will now be a repository or a go-to when it comes to environmental restoration, but of course, it will equally impact socioeconomic activities in the area.”
Community outreach & education
”Our medical outreach has benefited over 8,000 persons. We did not even look at whether or not you’re from here; insofar as you’re an Ogoni person, you are entitled to benefit.
”Our scholarship programme cuts across all the communities. We had started the first phase of our postgraduate scholarship programme that benefited 300 Ogoni postgraduate students. Some 100 of them for PhD, 200 for masters. They had N1 million and N500,000 respectively. That’s for the PhD they had 1 million, the masters they had 500. This year we have increased that number to 500, more persons benefiting. We’ve trained over 5,000 persons in our livelihood programme. And at the moment, over 300 or 400 persons have benefited from our high-demand skill sets and much more.”
Addressing criticisms & closing thoughts:
”So, what we are saying is that this project is truly pan-Ogoni. So let us look at it in that light. Every other allegation, of course, people will have their perceptions, but the truth is that: Are we working? Are there projects on ground? Are there things we could see? Are people’s lives being improved? And all of that. That is fundamental.
”Of course, you look at, from all I see here, it is more of an idiosyncratic posture of somebody who had felt it should have been this way in his perception. But then we should move beyond what I call parochialism to a communal and national and more pan-Ogoni benefit, which of course HYPREP is driving under Professor Nenibarini Zabbey.”
Neutral view:
With both parties making conflicting claims, BusinessDay sought out a neutral voices. Some of them who are deeply imbedded into the public sector of the state said Nubari had a point on some points but off the mark in some others. Some blamed MOSOP for always bringing division in the land.
Fyneface Dumnamene:
One such voice of neutrality but strong on facts is Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre – Nigeria (YEAC-Nigeria), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that monitors NYPREP and other environment-based projects in the Gulf of Guinea.
His response: Yes, some people believe that HYPREP has failed the Ogoni people because it has not really lived up to its expectations to carry out and implement the project according to UNEP recommendation, although they are trying their best but their best is not enough to many Ogoni people.
On Ken Saro-Wiwa’s community being denied, This is not true. HYPREP has some projects in Ken Saro-Wiwa community. It may not be enough. The community is Bane in Khana Local Government Area. I’m very much aware of a solar electrification of a secondary school in that community. That project was carried out by one Lekia Christian; that I know.
He was given a job to power the Maria High School, Bane, through solar, something like that. So, I believe there are one or two projects of HYPREP that are in Bane community.
Only children of those who betrayed Wiwa and the Ogoni cause are benefiting? This is not true. Many Ogonis are benefiting. Both those who betrayed Saro-Wiwa and those who didn’t betray Saro-Wiwa. Not everybody, but many are benefiting from the project.
On a nurse who poured acid on Saro-Wiwa’s body and others enjoying the fruits of the struggle, well, they are enjoying. This is the first time I’m hearing that there was a nurse that poured acid on Ken Saro-Wiwa’s body.
Although I have known before now that they poured acid on his body, but I didn’t know that it was an Ogoni person, a nurse that did it and the children enjoying. I’m not aware of this very woman.
On the accusation that no Bane community person is a fully employed staff of HYPREP except as casual. Yes, HYPREP is a project. Almost everybody in HYPREP is working as contractors and they are all casual. A few of them are directly employed by the project, those who are in the office. Those who are in the field, basically, most of them are casual staff.
Next, .it was agreed at the Transcorp Hotel meeting that drew the present template that 50% of jobs should go to Ogoni people but we are not seeing anything. Well, this is not something I can confirm because I’m not privy to the document or at Transcorp that 50% should go to Ogoni people. But I know that as a Federal Government project, there is always the local content that is supposed to empower the Ogoni people.
Now, no single HYPREP, no single Bane man or woman is driving a car as a result of working for or HYPREP. Well, it’s possible this could happen if you are not working directly, you are not making money from HYPREP project, you may not be able to drive a car as a result of that. Some people may still be working, either as casual or fully employed members of staff. But if you don’t save your money properly to be able to buy a car out of it, you won’t be able to buy a car. So, I don’t think this one is holding water very well.
I know that there is no how one person from the community won’t be working there.
On Programme Coordinator (PC) must rotate, well, it is the choice of the project manager, especially the Minister of Environment and of course, the Presidency to determine whether the PC should go for second tenure or not. The process of selecting a new Project Coordinator of HYPREP is ongoing. Whether Zabbey is going back or not, when they announce is when we get to know.
On fighting to finish for position of PC, well, it’s good to fight for PC to rotate because so far, it has been in one kingdom since the beginning, from what the person said here. Yes, it has always been Gokana all the way right from the beginning. For example, Marvin Dekil is from Gokana, Barako Benadon is from Bodo, you know, in Gokana as well. Barako is also in Gokana. Then the current PC (Zabbey) is also from Bodo in Gokana.
We have not had anybody from anywhere outside Gokana, so this one is very correct. So, the rotational PC fight, well, is something that if they fight for it, they are going to make a point.
On the claim that most of the contractors are not from Ogoni; yes, that is very correct. Most of them are not from Ogoni. They share the contracts in Abuja and come to Port Harcourt to sublet to Ogoni people.
To say none of the contractors is from Ogoni is not true. Legisi Maoh, the owner of Geolie, is from Ogoni and he has one of the major contracts in Ogoni on the clean-up projects. I have seen some sites where he has projects. I visited some, I was at one of them yesterday being the 24th day of June 2026. So, he has some major contracts in Ogoni right from the beginning, that’s Geolie owned by Legisi Maoh.
We have heard about cases where they go to Abuja, people get contract, they come here and do all of that because major decisions about the Project to an extent are taken in Abuja. A few are taken at the Project Coordinator’s office here in Port Harcourt, so it’s correct. But coming here to sublet to Ogoni people, well, I don’t know how very correct is that, but I know quite well that if a contract is awarded and a company decided to work with some local people, it’s also a way of involving them.
So, the possibility of that happening is also there. But that no Ogoni contractors are given contracts is not correct. I know of Geolie and I learn there are other one or two companies that are also doing some contracts around there, but the generality of people believes and I think it’s also true that out of 10 companies and contractors under HYPREP, I don’t think up to four are Ogoni.
It’s a national project, so people from all around the country are getting the jobs and then working with some local people to execute it.
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