I warmly welcome you to this public hearing of the House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee on the Mismanagement of Oil Spill Clean-up Funds in the Niger Delta. Your presence underscores the importance of this oversight exercise, and I thank you for your commitment to this critical process.

 

The House has mandated this Committee to investigate the allocation, release, disbursement, and utilization of funds designated for oil spill remediation in the Niger Delta. Our goal is clear: to uncover the truth. We will scrutinize project implementation, procurement integrity, payment processes, inter-agency coordination, and the delivery of promised remediation and restitution to affected communities.

 

Specifically, we will verify:

  • Whether funds were disbursed and received as reported.
  • Whether payments are backed by valid contracts, invoices, and independent acceptance certificates.
  • Whether procurement and payment processes adhered to legal and best-practice standards.
  • Whether monitoring and laboratory verification confirm the claimed remediation outcomes.

 

Where gaps, delays, or irregularities are found, we will identify those responsible and recommend corrective measures.

 

This hearing is public, and all proceedings will be recorded. Witnesses are required to provide truthful testimony; deliberate falsehood or obstruction violates the House’s standing rules. When claiming payments were made or work was completed, witnesses must present complete primary evidence.

 

To agencies and operators—including HYPREP, NUPRC, NOSDRA, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, NEITI, NNPCL/NNPC, and related entities—we demand full cooperation and prompt submission of requested documents. To community representatives, civil society organizations, and technical partners, your evidence and experiences are vital. The Committee will consider protections for those providing sensitive information in good faith. Non-compliance will prompt the Committee to invoke the House’s authority.

 

Let me emphasize: this is not a political exercise or a witch hunt. It is a rigorous, evidence-driven inquiry to restore accountability, recover misapplied public funds, address institutional failures, and deliver meaningful remediation to Niger Delta communities, including the Ogoni people.

 

At the conclusion of this investigation, the Committee will submit its findings and recommendations to the House for decisive action.

 

Thank you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

 

Being the opening remarks by Rep. Okpolupm Etteh, the Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee on the Mismanagement of Oil Spill Clean-Up Funds in the Niger Delta at the Public Hearing on the investigation of funds mismanagement, held on Thursday, 16 October 2025, at Conference Room 231, House of Representatives New Building, National Assembly Complex, Abuja