A fresh legal battle has erupted over the transparency of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), as an independent monitoring organisation under the aegis of Rural Development, Information and Legal Advocacy (RUDILAC), has instituted legal proceedings at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt to compel the disclosure of procurement records regarding controversial remediation contracts.

The suit, filed under Suit No: FHC/PH/MSC/244/2026, follows a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the group to the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey.

The applicant is seeking comprehensive documentation regarding the award of contracts to four major firms: Avondale Services and Supplies Ltd, One Speciality P & S Ltd, Vitruvian Global Resources Ltd, and Shearforce Nig. Ltd.

At the heart of the litigation is the group’s demand for fiscal transparency in the ongoing cleanup of Ogoniland.

Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, the applicants are seeking a court order to compel HYPREP to release: Approved procurement plans for the fiscal years involving the named projects.

Official reports and attendance sheets from public bid opening exercises. Detailed scorecards and financial offers of all bidding participants. Technical and Financial Evaluation Committee reports.

Certificates of No Objection issued by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), and formal letters of award and Certificates of Completion.

In its application, the group, led by its Director of Operations, Com. Jonah Karikpo argued that as a public institution charged with implementing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recommendations for the Niger Delta, HYPREP is legally obligated to maintain an open-book policy to ensure public trust and accountability.

The matter, which came up for mention in the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court, is presided over by Hon. Justice A.T Mohammed. The court has adjourned the case to June 15, 2026, for further hearing.

Legal observers note that this case underscores the increasing use of the FOI Act by civil society organizations to scrutinize public expenditure in Nigeria’s extractive sector.

The applicant has maintained that any failure to disclose these records constitutes a violation of the law, specifically citing Sections 7(5) and 10 of the FOI Act 2011, which criminalise the intentional denial of information and the alteration or destruction of public records.

Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, Professor of Biomonitoring and Restoration Ecology, who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in 2024 to oversee the agency, was sacked for months on the grounds of corruption in July 2024 and was later brought back after the protest of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), who insisted that they need an Ogoni to do the job.

HYPREP is the primary vehicle for the environmental remediation of Ogoniland and broader Niger Delta sites, a mandate that has historically attracted intense public and international scrutiny due to the scale of the ecological damage and the significant financial resources allocated to the cleanup.

As of the time of press, HYPREP has yet to issue a formal response to the ongoing litigation. The applicant has expressed its readiness to pursue the matter through to its logical conclusion to ensure that there’s a significant shift in environmental remediation that remains grounded in fiscal and institutional integrity.

(Daily Independent)

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