Fresh unrest is brewing in Ogoniland over recent changes to the governing board of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), with community leaders warning that the move could jeopardise plans to restart oil exploration in the area.
The discontent follows President Bola Tinubu’s decision to appoint Emmanuel Deeyah as chairman of the HYPREP board, replacing Dr Mike Nwielaghi.
The president announced the reconstitution of the board earlier this month, but the development has triggered pushback from sections of the Ogoni community.
In a letter dated 14 August 2025 and addressed to President Tinubu, chiefs and opinion leaders from Buan community in Khana Local Government Area demanded the reinstatement of Nwielaghi. They argued that he should be allowed to complete the projects he had initiated during his tenure.
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According to the signatories, Buan wields “no less than 30% stakeholder voice” in the oil resumption process in Ogoni, being one of the area’s oil-producing communities. They questioned Deeyah’s stake in the sector, claiming that despite holding several political offices in the past — including commissioner, state legislator, and federal lawmaker — he had made “no visible impact” in Ogoni.
The letter stressed: “We are strongly demanding that Chief Mike Nwielaghi be reappointed to enable him to complete the various HYPREP projects which he started in his community and Ogoniland as a whole.”
The tension comes at a critical time for Ogoni, where the federal government is seeking to rebuild trust with host communities after decades of environmental damage and disputes over oil production.
