The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has threatened to issue a warrant for the arrest of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, if he fails to appear before the committee next Tuesday. This warning follows his absence for the seventh consecutive time.
Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed, the committee chairman, expressed frustration over Zabbey’s repeated non-compliance and stated that the committee is willing to extend the deadline for his appearance to February 4, 2025. If he does not comply, they will invoke constitutional measures to ensure his attendance.
In November 2023, it was announced that $360 million had been allocated for the clean-up of Ogoni land in the Niger Delta. Senator Wadada emphasized the committee’s intent to understand the reasons behind the coordinator’s absence and to obtain detailed information regarding the project’s financial appropriations and government funding received.
The committee demands clarity on the spending of the 2022 budget, an additional N6.6 billion for 2023, and the 2024 budget, along with evidence of tax remittances made to the Federal Inland Revenue Service from 2022 to 2024.
