Outrage As Tinubu Govt’s Ogoni Water Project Collapsed 72 Hours After Commissioning
A prominent Ogoni traditional leader, Chief Anthony Waadah, slammed the Federal Ministry of Environment over the collapse of a newly commissioned water project in Ogoniland.
Waada called on President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action against those sabotaging his administration’s integrity.
Chief Waadah demanded the immediate sack of the Minister of Environment, the Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), and the contractor responsible for the failed water facilities in Bane and Gwara communities of Khana Local Government Area.
Waadah described the collapse of the water facility in Gwara, which collapsed barely three days after being inaugurated, as a national embarrassment and a “monumental fraud” against the Ogoni people.
In a statement on Wednesday, he condemned the Ministry of Environment and HYPREP for what he termed “a deliberate act of deception and gross incompetence,” despite the $1 billion already spent on the Ogoni Clean-Up Project.
“It is unthinkable that a project celebrated with so much fanfare could collapse within seventy-two hours of its commissioning,” Waadah said.
He insisted the failure amounted to economic sabotage and an insult to the Ogoni people, urging President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on HYPREP’s activities and order a comprehensive forensic audit of its contracts and finances.
He further urged anti-corruption agencies to investigate all companies working with HYPREP, alleging that many are “fronts owned by cronies and political allies without technical capacity.”
“Ogoniland does not look like a place where one billion dollars has been spent. Our people are still drinking polluted water; hospitals are non-existent; and our roads are death traps,” he lamented.
Waadah said the legacy of Ogoni heroes such as Ken Saro-Wiwa and Barinem Kiobel was being desecrated by corruption, warning that the people must not remain silent when substandard projects are executed in their communities.
“These projects are not favours. They are our rights, funded by public money. Silence in the face of corruption is betrayal,” he stated.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
