Ogoni cleanup: Reps summon HYPREP over N400bn audit report

The House of Representatives has summoned the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and its Chairman of the Board of Trustees to appear before its Public Accounts Committee within seven days. This ultimatum is a direct response to HYPREP's failure to comply with four prior invitations from the committee to address questions regarding a multimillion-dollar audit report.

The committee's Chairman, Bamidele Salam, emphasized that this would be the final opportunity for HYPREP to appear before the lawmakers. Salam stressed that if HYPREP does not comply, the House will invoke its constitutional powers to compel the appearance of the agency's accounting officer. The committee aims to investigate how funds allocated for Ogoni cleanup were spent and to clarify numerous concerns raised in the Office of the Auditor-General's 2021 and 2024 audit reports.

These concerns include irregular contract awards, non-deduction of statutory taxes, payment of disputed amounts for training and consultancy services, and unauthorized video conferencing. Additionally, the committee is expected to question HYPREP and the Ogoni Remediation Trust Fund regarding the management of $1 billion from Shell Petroleum Development Company's withdrawal from the project.