•CSOs push for govt action on Niger Delta pollution crisis

The forum of former state chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to retain Dr Mike Nwielaghi as Chairman of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

In an open letter to the President, dated September 5, 2025, and signed by the forum’s National Chairman, Kasim Mabo, the group stressed that Nwielaghi, who once served as CPC chairman in Rivers State, remains the only member of the CPC bloc, one of the legacy parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC), currently holding a federal appointment.

According to the forum, Nwielaghi’s leadership has not only restored credibility to HYPREP but also demonstrated the continued relevance of the CPC family in national development.

Other signatories to the letter include the National Secretary, Sulaiman Oyaremi, and six zonal coordinators: Musa Abubakar Damaliki (North-West), Ahmed Dawayo (North-East), Isah Ramat Saidu (North-Central), Enyinnaya Ibiam Nnachi (South-East), Mike Agbe (South-South), and Olalekan Obolo (South-West).

The forum cautioned that removing Nwielaghi at this time would strip the CPC bloc of visibility in the Tinubu administration and send a “troubling signal of political exclusion,” particularly in Rivers State, which it described as highly sensitive.

The letter read in part: “Dr Nwielaghi’s retention is not just about rewarding loyalty, it is about preserving trust, strengthening inclusion, and ensuring that every legacy group within the APC continues to feel a sense of belonging and purpose.”

Listing his political antecedents, the forum noted that Nwielaghi was the pioneer Chairman of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Rivers State in 2001, interim organising secretary of the APC in Rivers, member of the Finance Directorate of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, adding that his appointment was endorsed by James Faleke.

The forum, therefore, appealed to the President to consider its request in the spirit of unity, fairness, and equity.

MEANWHILE, a coalition of civil society organisations has called on the Federal Government to take immediate action to address decades of oil pollution in the Niger Delta, accusing multinational oil companies of abandoning their toxic legacy without accountability or proper clean-up.

In a joint statement by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and Spaces for Change, it was noted that the silence of the Nigerian Government in the face of mounting international concern was dangerous and signalled complicity in the continued suffering of local communities.