The Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), a grassroots advocacy group, is calling on President Bola Tinubu to launch an independent investigation into the alleged diversion of a $300 million compensation fund meant for Ogoni communities over the Oil Mining Lease (OML)
The fund, reportedly paid by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) under the leadership of former GMD Mele Kyari, was intended as compensation for the long-disputed oil rights on Ogoni land. However, OLI claims the money was misappropriated by the previous Rivers State administration in collaboration with individuals falsely presenting themselves as representatives of Ogoni interests.
OLI President Dr. Douglas Fabeke criticized what he described as years of environmental and economic injustice against the Ogoni people. He stressed the need for transparency, demanding that the federal government publish a breakdown of which communities were compensated and how the funds were disbursed, if at all.
Fabeke also raised red flags around the $1 billion Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), the federal initiative responsible for cleaning up pollution in Ogoni land. He accused HYPREP of poor execution, alleging that some cleanup projects were either substandard or carried out in locations that don’t exist.
“We’ve written several times to the Minister of Environment, but our concerns have been ignored,” Fabeke said. He called for a forensic audit of HYPREP’s spending, a complete overhaul of its structure, and genuine engagement with the Ogoni people to ensure accountability and justice.
Despite decades of oil extraction, Fabeke noted, Ogoni communities continue to suffer from environmental degradation and a lack of proper compensation. He urged President Tinubu to act boldly and prioritize the rights and welfare of the people.
