News
HOMEF To FG: Do Not Move HYPREP To N’Delta Affairs Ministry

A non-Governmental Organisation – Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) – has urged the Federal Government to renege plan to move the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) from Ministry of Environment to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
HOMEF’s reaction follows an announcement reportedly made by the Minister of Transportation, Muázu Jaji Sambo in Abuja
where he reportedly stated that HYPREP is a purely Niger Delta affair hence the government has concluded plan to transfer it to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs because transferring the agency to the ministry would quicken the pace of the clean-up in the region.
INFO DAILY reports that Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) was established under the Federal Ministry of Petroleum of Nigeria in 2012 following a recommendation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report
on the assessment of the Ogoni environment in 2011.
A statement by Nnimmo Bassey, Director, HOMEF, which was made available to INFO DAILY by Kome Odhomor Media/Communication Lead of the organisation argued that the planned move appears to stem from a major misconception that HYPREP is a solely Niger Delta affair.
“This is far from being accurate. We have hydrocarbon pollution in other areas of Nigeria outside the Niger Delta, including around Kaduna refinery, and at Atlas Cove, Badagary and other places in Lagos. It is also obvious that with oil extraction activities
in Lagos waters and Dangote’s refinery being built at Lekki, hydrocarbon pollution will soon become the norm in Lagos. That is not Niger Delta.
“Moreover, with plans to invest 30% of the profits of NNPC Ltd in prospecting for petroleum resources in frontier basins, the scope of pollution will expand. That will not be in the Niger Delta. Besides the fact that moving HYPREP to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs unnecessarily limits its scope, it also blindsides the essential backstopping that agencies such as National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) seamlessly provide to the agency.
“If the move is allowed to stand there will be an avoidable duplication of personnel
as the new ministry grapples with the in-house expertise required for
the extremely specialized assignments of the agency.If such a move is allowed to stand there is a real risk of further slowing down the clean-up of Ogoniland or completely scuttling the process.
READ ALSO: Monitor, Protect Your Environment, HOMEF Charges N’Delta Communities
“We do not need the confusion and wastage that will be created by this planned move of HYPREP to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs,” Bassey said.
He continued: “Considering the ecological crisis in the Niger Delta and across Nigeria, we expect the FG to order an urgent
commencement of environmental audit of the nation and ensuring that all polluters – the oil companies, including NNPC Ltd – pay for the clean-up of the entire Niger Delta and other areas afflicted with hydrocarbon
pollution.”
Bassey added that the planned move is a calculated distraction at a time when international oil companies are making moves to divest from onshore oil fields with undeclared but real intention
of avoiding responsibility for historical and current environmental
damage.
He reiterated that hydrocarbon pollution is not a solely Niger Delta
affair and should not be treated as that.
“We also believe that such a
move would overburden the Ministry of Niger Delta Affair and that HYPREP may end up as another opaque agency like the Niger Detta Development
Commission (NDDC), to the detriment of the people and the environment,” he added.
News
MOWAA: Okpehbolo Receives Edo Assembly Resolution Indicting Obaseki

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, received report and resolutions of the Edo State House of Assembly which indicted former Governor Godwin Obaseki on the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and the Radisson Hotel projects.
Recall that the Edo Assembly raised a five-man committee to investigate funding and ownership of both projects following a request by Governor Okpebholo.
Okpebholo, who spoke after receiving the report said its findings and recommendations would be fully implemented.
Okpebholo said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would be invited to further examine issues raised in the recommendations.
READ ALSO:MOWAA: Why I Will Not Appear Before Edo Assembly Panel — Obaseki
According to him, the Edo State Government has significant stakes in the MOWAA and Radisson Blu hotel having invested ₦3.8bn respectively in both projects.
He said changes in the structure and nomenclature of the MOWAA project made the investigation unavoidable.
Okpebholo said it was unacceptable to suggest Edo State has only 10 per cent stake in the Radisson Blu hotem despite investing over ₦28bn.
“Edo State has spent over ₦3.8 billion on this project, yet some people are saying the state has no stake in it. That is totally unacceptable. I will work with your recommendations and forward them to the relevant authorities to investigate what truly happened. We will also involve the EFCC.
READ ALSO:MOWAA Controversy: Edo Assembly Threatens Arrest Warrant On Obaseki, Others
“Our investment in this project is over ₦28 billion. We must invite the EFCC to step in and determine if this is how businesses are conducted in Nigeria,” he said.
In its recommendations passed by the Assembly, the five-man committee headed by Hon Addeh Isibor, urged the Edo State Government to take possession of both projects.
It asked Governor Okpebholo to contract competent hands to complete renovation of the Hotel and take all steps to put the Hotel to use.
The recommendations urged the Edo State Government to revoke “the fraudulent Certificate of Occupancy to the property issued in the name of Hospitality Investment and Management Company Limited and revert same to the Edo State Government that purchased the property.
READ ALSO:Edo Assembly Charges Contractor Handling Ekekhuan Road To Accelerate Work
“That the Edo State Government initiate legal action and work with relevant Anti-graft Agencies to retrieve both the complete statement of account and the balance of the Seventeen Billion, Five Hundred Million Naira (N17,500,000,000.00) Bond proceeds still in the possession of the Escrow Agents. Meristen Trustees Limited and Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.
“The title to the MOWAA Property having never been revoked, same remains the property of the Central Hospital, Benin City
“That the Edo State Government immediately takes all necessary step to put the property to good use in the best and overriding public interest of the people of Edo State.”
Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, said the facts about MOWAA and Radisson Blu Hotel were now clearly documented in resolutions and outcomes.
News
Sheikh Gummi Sues Two Over Alleged False Facebook Publication

Prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gummi, has approached the Chief Magistrate Court in Kaduna, seeking the issuance of a criminal direct complainant summons against two Facebook users over alleged criminal conspiracy, attempt to cause public disturbance and criminal defamation.
The application, filed at the Chief Magistrate Court sitting on Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kaduna, listed the defendants as George Udom and Bello Isiaka.
According to him, the defendants allegedly published a “Breaking News” statement on their respective Facebook pages on December 23, 2025, between 7:00 am and 10:00 am, attributed to him, threatening that the family of the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, would be eliminated if military operations against bandits were not stopped.
Gummi alleged that the publication was falsely attributed to him, as his photograph was allegedly used alongside the statement, giving the impression that he issued the threat against the Defence Minister.
READ ALSO:Nigeria Army Alone Cannot Defeat Bandits — Sheikh Gumi
The Islamic scholar stated that following the publication, he received numerous phone calls from concerned members of the public who believed he authored the statement and was attempting to intimidate the Minister of Defence in the discharge of his official duties.
He further maintained that the publication portrayed him as a troublemaker and a threat to public peace, despite his long-standing reputation as a cleric known for preaching peace and harmony within and outside Nigeria.
The complainant argued that the alleged publication was capable of inciting public disorder in Kaduna State, particularly Southern Kaduna, and could expose him to danger by presenting him as a prime suspect in the event of any attack on the Defence Minister’s family.
READ ALSO:Insecurity: What Sheikh Gumi Told Me After Visiting Bandits Hideouts — Obasanjo
He also contended that the actions of the defendants amounted to an attempt to cause public disturbance and criminal defamation of his character.
Dr Gummi told the court that the alleged acts contravened Sections 59, 57, 372, 116 and 117 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
The application, dated December 24, 2025, was filed by a team of lawyers led by Suleiman Danlami Lere, with the complainant urging the court to summon the defendants to answer to the allegations.
News
JUST IN: Kano Lawmaker, Sarki Aliyu Daneji, Dies Hours After Colleague’s Passing

Hon. Sarki Aliyu Daneji, the lawmaker representing Kano Municipal in the Kano State House of Assembly, died on Wednesday, barely hours after the death of his colleague, Hon. Aminu Sa’adu Ungogo.
The Director-General, Media and Public Relations, Government House, Kano, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, confirmed Daneji’s death to journalists in Kano.
Daneji’s demise came shortly after the passing of Hon. Ungogo, who was the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and represented Ungogo Local Government in the Assembly. Ungogo, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), reportedly died after a brief illness.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Former Edo Information Commissioner Is Dead
He was said to have been at the Kano State House of Assembly earlier in the day, attending a committee meeting before his death.
The sudden loss of the two lawmakers within a short interval has thrown the Kano State House of Assembly into mourning, with colleagues, party members and constituents expressing shock and grief over the tragic development.
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