Group Challenges Claims Of $1bn Spent on Ogoniland Cleanup

A group, Ogoni Business Owners in America (OBOA), has raised concerns over ongoing environmental degradation in Ogoniland despite claims that over $1 billion has been spent on its cleanup.

In a statement released on Wednesday from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the group’s president, Chief Anthony Waadaah, described the state of the region as “an unimaginable betrayal of the sacred cause for which Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine gave their lives.” The statement, titled “Ken Saro-Wiwa Lives On: The Unfinished Struggle for Justice, Dignity, and Accountability in Ogoniland,” commemorated the anniversary of the execution of Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders on November 10, 1995, by the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s regime.

Waadaah lamented that decades after their deaths, Ogoniland remains polluted, its rivers contaminated, and its people impoverished. “Over $1 billion has been spent in the name of the Ogoni cleanup project under HYPREP. Yet, if you walk through Ogoniland today, it does not look like a place where such an enormous amount has been invested. The water is still polluted, the soil poisoned, the air toxic, and our people continue to suffer preventable diseases,” he said.

The group accused the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) of betraying the ideals of Saro-Wiwa’s struggle, claiming the agency has become “a conduit for corruption and political patronage” rather than a vehicle for environmental restoration. Waadaah alleged that politicians and contractors have hijacked the project for personal gain. “HYPREP, which was meant to heal our land, has become a tool for contracts and kickbacks, harassing those who expose corruption instead of cleaning Ogoniland,” he added.

He further claimed that millions have been spent lobbying media outlets to suppress accountability, including efforts to silence a local radio and television program, Bua Bee Ogoni, which monitored the cleanup project. “They can kill the channels of communication, but they cannot kill the message,” Waadaah asserted.

The OBOA president accused HYPREP of misleading Nigerians and the international community into believing significant progress had been made, while the reality on the ground remains one of polluted rivers, abandoned communities, and broken promises.

Waadaah called on the Federal Government to order a forensic audit of all funds released for the cleanup and to investigate reports that an additional $300 million from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is missing.

Regarding the recent delegation sent by President Bola Tinubu to engage Ogoni stakeholders, Waadaah warned against any attempt to reopen oil operations in the area before full cleanup and accountability are achieved. “Do not rush to reopen oil operations in Ogoniland. First, clean the land. Second, account for the $1 billion spent and the missing $300 million. Third, rebuild the trust that has been eroded for decades,” he said.

Efforts to reach HYPREP Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenebarini Zabbey, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages were not returned at the time of reporting.