MOSOP Urges Tinubu To Investigate Ogoni Cleanup Funds
Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has asked President Bola Tinubu to probe the alleged reckless mismanagement of $800 million fund appropriated for the Ogoni cleanup project in the last seven years.
The group also called for immediate dissolution of the supervisory agency, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), pending conclusion of investigations into the finances of its operations.
MOSOP’s President, Fegalo Nsuke, in a statement, said over $200 million has been looted from the agency and cannot be accounted for.
He said: “It would only be immoral for government to be silent over monumental fraud.”
Nsuke explained that former President Muhanmmadu Buhari had initiated an inconclusive probe into activities of HYPREP, calling on the current administration to revisit the issue to instill accountability and transparency in execution of the project.
He added: “The sum of N180 billion was approved for the agency in the last three weeks of the Buhari administration. The approvals raised suspicions that such requests from the Ministry of Environment were not made in good faith.
“The only way we can begin to have some confidence in the cleanup process is that it has to be conducted transparently. The agency couldn’t have spent over $800 million and we don’t have water or compensation for losses of livelihood.”
According to the MOSOP boss, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) recommendations, among others, highlighted massive pollution affecting lands, waters and health of the people; yet, they have not taken off despite being described as an emergency.
“A recent medical analysis revealed that 80 per cent of people with cancer related ailments are from the Ogoni region. No compensation for people whose livelihoods have been destroyed by decades of oil pollution,” Nsuke said.
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