The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s recent appointments, particularly the members of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
In a communiqué issued after its emergency congress, NYCOP President, Raymond Marcus, said the group is satisfied with the appointment of a former Khana Federal Constituency representative, Nwika Deeyah, as Chairman of HYPREP’s BoT, passing a vote of confidence in his leadership qualities.
“NYCOP wholeheartedly endorses the President’s appointments of the Governing Council and BOT members of HYPREP,” the group’s communique read in part.
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It said, “We believe his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.”
NYCOP commended HYPREP’s management and urged President Tinubu to sustain funding while considering the conversion of the project into a full-fledged agency of government.
It also appreciated the President’s initiatives, including the establishment of the Federal University of Environmental Technology, infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, and the formation of a dialogue committee with the Ogoni people.
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NYCOP maintained that, “Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth”.
The group, however, suspended two officials for misconduct and issued a seven-day ultimatum to former BoT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the whereabouts of the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, threatening legal action if he fails to do so.
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Deeyah is a former member of the House of Representatives, Khana/Gokana Constituency, and an ex-member of the Rivers State House Assembly.
The new HYPREP BoT chair is also the president of Kagote, an Ogoni socio-cultural organisation.