Ogoni Clean-up: CSOs Fault Protest Against HYPREP Leadership

A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Rivers State has strongly condemned a recent protest targeting the leadership of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), an initiative focused on cleaning up Ogoni land. The CSOs assert that the protest, allegedly organized by a group claiming to represent Ogoni CSOs, is a smear campaign aimed at discrediting HYPREP's Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey.

During a media briefing in Port Harcourt, coalition representatives, including Mike Gbarale of the Rainbow Watch and Development Centre, dismissed the protest as sponsored and based on spurious allegations of non-performance. They declared a vote of confidence in Professor Zabbey's current leadership, emphasizing that as long-standing stakeholders in the Ogoni and Niger Delta struggles, they have observed credible clean-up achievements under his tenure.

The coalition stressed that while they support scrutiny of HYPREP's operations, they will not endorse faceless groups using the guise of CSOs for personal gain. They warned that any unjust attack on HYPREP is, in effect, an attack on the Ogoni people. The CSOs urged the public and government to disregard the unsubstantiated claims, viewing the protest as an attempt to blackmail the project coordinator for financial extortion. They encouraged Professor Zabbey to remain focused despite the distractions.