An environmental advocacy group, Ogoni Environment Watch (OEW), has dragged 29 companies before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly failing to executive contracts awarded to them by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
OEW, in a petition dated May 2, 2024, and addressed to the EFCC Chairman, accused the contractors of abandoning about 37 projects that were awarded to them on April 27, 2023, after being mobilised with up 30 per cent funds of total contract sums amounting to about N80billion.
The petition, which was signed by the group’s convener, Stephen Deegbara, called on the EFCC and the National Assembly, as well as the Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, and the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, to use their good offices to investigate the issues raised with the aim of bringing to book whosoever or the company that is culpable of obvious default and wickedness to the people of Ogoni land of Rivers State.
The petition reads in part: “Recall that on the 27th day of April, 2023 at the Palace of HRH Bebe Okpabi the Onne Eeh Nchia in Eleme local government area of Rivers State, thirty-nine hydrocarbon pollution remediation contractors were commissioned by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project to remediate/cleanup about thirty-nine impacted sites in Ogoniland.
“As concerned Ogoni environmental advocacy organization poised with the zest to enthrone healthy environment and livelihoods for our people, we have been following up with the activities of these contractors with keen interest and we have discovered that this remediation contract which ordinarily has a duration of two years has been obviously abandoned.
“Less than 2% of the contractors out of thirty-nine have mobilized to site and have achieved significant result while others have not shown presence in the site talk more of achieving any mile stone.
“It is to our knowledge that these companies have been mobilized up to 30 percent of total contract sum amounting to about 80 billion naira to commence work but have failed, refused and neglected to so do.
“It is saddening that these noble objectives of HYPREP is being sabotaged by the above companies, about 39 of them,whoafter receiving about 80 billion naira two solid years ago, representing 30 percent mobilization of the total contract
sum, have refused to go to work or even showing willingness to do so.
“It is our safe conclusion that these companies are bent on impoverishing the people of Ogoni as their activities are counter remediation and geared towards escalating the evils of oil pollution in our already damaged environment and livelihoods thereby perpetuating a higher degree of genocide on our people.”