Tinubu Government’s HYPREP Water Project in Ogoni Land Collapses Four Days After Commissioning
By Paul Ebi
Barely four days after its much-celebrated commissioning, one of the water facilities built under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoni land, Rivers State, has reportedly collapsed, sparking outrage and disappointment among residents and environmental activists.
The multi-million-naira project, part of the Federal Government’s effort to provide safe and clean water to communities affected by decades of oil pollution, was inaugurated last week amid praise from top government officials, including representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
According to eyewitnesses, the water treatment plant in one of the Ogoni communities developed structural faults that led to the collapse of a major section of its reservoir platform. The incident has rendered the facility non-functional, cutting off water supply to hundreds of households that had only just begun to enjoy the service.
“We were so happy when the project started running, thinking our suffering had finally ended,” said a local resident, Mrs. Fyneface Baridam. “But just a few days later, the entire structure gave way. This shows that the contractors did a very poor job.”
Environmental rights groups have since condemned the incident, describing it as another example of corruption and poor accountability in the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-recommended clean-up projects.
The Executive Director of the Centre for Oil Pollution and Environmental Response (COPER), Dr. Kaani Zorva, called for an immediate investigation. “This collapse is not just an engineering failure; it is a moral failure. Billions have been spent in the name of the Ogoni people, yet what we see are substandard projects designed to fail,” Zorva stated.
The Ministry of Environment and HYPREP officials have yet to issue an official statement regarding the collapse. However, sources within the agency suggested that a technical team has been dispatched to assess the extent of the damage.
The Ogoni clean-up, launched in 2016 and re-energized under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, has faced persistent criticism over alleged mismanagement, delays, and poor quality of work. This latest development, observers say, risks further eroding public trust in the government’s sincerity toward environmental justice in the Niger Delta.
As investigations continue, community leaders are urging the Federal Government to hold contractors accountable and ensure that future projects meet international safety and quality standards.
