Contract Variation Scandal Hits HYPREP Ogoni Cleanup as ₦62.55bn Extra Sought for Near-Complete Projects  

By Joseph Sunday

Fresh questions have emerged over a proposed ₦62.55 billion contract variation for two flagship projects under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, despite official records showing both are nearly completed.

According to HYPREP’s Weekly Report for the week ending 22 June 2026, the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, CEER, is 96.64% complete. The breakdown lists construction at 96.78%, electricity works at 96.46%, fittings and installations at 96.66%, landscaping and tree planting at 98.76%, and finishes at 96.58%. 

Outstanding works are described as minor, including lightning protection systems, CCTV installation, final landscaping, painting, and tiling. The report cites delayed fluctuation cost payments as the main challenge.

However, a memorandum to the Ministerial Tenders Board presents a conflicting picture. 

It seeks anticipatory approval for major variations:

1. CEER Project: An additional ₦42.66 billion, raising the contract sum from ₦41.47 billion to ₦84.13 billion, with a 24-month extension. 

2. Second Project: An additional ₦19.90 billion, increasing the contract from ₦18.31 billion to ₦38.21 billion, also with a 24-month extension. 

The memo attributes the increases to exchange rate fluctuations and new requirements to meet international standards.

The gap between the reported 96.64% completion and the request to more than double the CEER contract value has triggered concern among stakeholders. Questions being raised include:

• What new works justify ₦42.66 billion at a near-completion stage? 

• Why were these requirements not captured in the original Federal Executive Council approved scope? 

• Where are the independent technical assessments, bills of quantities, and procurement justifications? 

Across Ogoniland, community members argue that ₦62.55 billion could better fund urgent needs such as school rehabilitation, healthcare upgrades, potable water projects, youth empowerment, rural infrastructure, and accelerated remediation of oil-impacted communities.

The Ogoni Cleanup Fund was established to address decades of environmental damage and neglect. Oversight bodies including the Bureau of Public Procurement, HYPREP Board of Trustees, HYPREP Governing Council, and the Federal Ministry of Environment are being urged to suspend any approval or disbursement pending a full, independent technical, financial, and procurement review.

There are also calls for the EFCC and other relevant agencies to investigate whether due process was followed and if the increases are supported by factual assessments. The Federal Ministry of Environment and HYPREP are being asked to publicly reconcile the discrepancy between the completion report and the new funding requests.

For many in Ogoniland, the Cleanup Programme represents a long-awaited path to environmental justice. Stakeholders insist every kobo must be spent transparently and strictly for restoration and sustainable development.