Tinubu withdraws Adekanmbi’s appointment as HYPREP Coordinator

President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn the appointment of Olufemi Adekanmbi as the Project Coordinator for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

Recall that Adekanmbi was appointed on Saturday by the president.

Adekanmbi, is a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture, and Tourism in Ondo State and a member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES).

However, this appointment faced criticism from various groups who argued that he is not an Ogoni man and should therefore be removed.

These groups questioned why a Yoruba man from Ondo State was chosen to lead HYPREP, the agency under the Federal Ministry of Environment responsible for overseeing the Ogoni Clean-up project.

They gave the Federal Government 24 hours, expiring on Monday (today), to reinstate the former project coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey.

The groups threatened to cripple all project sites in Ogoni if the Federal Government does not reinstate Prof. Zabbey.

The president has now bowed to pressure and reinstated the former project coordinator.

Zabbey was first appointed HYPREP Coordinator in May 2023 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, succeeding Dr. Giadom Dumbari.

A statement by the Presidency on Monday read:

“President Bola Tinubu has approved the reinstatement of Professor Nenibarini Zabbey as the Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

“The President reached the decision following a performance review of the HYPREP Project Coordinator and concluded that the Project Coordinator is fit to discharge his functions in accordance with the regulations guiding the execution of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

By the directive of the President, the reinstatement of the HYPREP Project Coordinator takes immediate effect”.