Several Ogoni socio-cultural groups in Rivers State have called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the recent appointment of Emmanuel Deeyah as Chairman of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) Board of Trustees.
In a joint open letter to the President, the groups — including the Ogoni Chiefs and Elders Forum, Concerned Ogoni Elders Forum, Ogoni Youth Development Initiative, Coalition of Ogoni Youth Leadership Forum, and Ogoni Mothers of Charity — expressed dissatisfaction with the announcement, describing it as the result of “petty political interference.”
Tinubu had on Monday reconstituted the HYPREP board, naming Deeyah as chairman.
However, the groups insist this was not in line with the President’s original decision, claiming that certain political actors manipulated the process to replace Dr. Mike Nwielaghi’s name with Deeyah’s.
“It is crystal clear that the President reappointed Dr. Mike Nwielaghi, but the same was edited and replaced with the name of Emmanuel Deeyah,” the letter read in part.
READ ALSO: Anambra APC to Soludo: Visiting Tinubu Won’t Shield You from Defeat
They argued that under Nwielaghi’s leadership, the previous board delivered impressive results in the ongoing cleanup of Ogoniland, earning a vote of confidence from local stakeholders.
“The Ogoni people were satisfied with their work. It is shocking that instead of building on that success, efforts are now heightened to truncate the momentum,” they said.
The signatories urged Tinubu to reinstate Nwielaghi, warning that ignoring their demand could weaken political goodwill in the region ahead of the 2027 elections.