THE Federal Government took steps closer to the restart of oil exploration in Ogoniland on Wednesday, following the receipt of the report of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja.
The president, at the Wednesday’s event, directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to begin engagements between Ogoni communities, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for restarting operations.
He also tasked the Minister of Environment to integrate pollution remediation into the ongoing dialogue with the people.
The president, who used the occasion to confer national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on the murdered Ogoni Four, whose killing ignited the trial of Dr Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders of the ethnic group by the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, ordered the National Security Adviser to ensure the completion of peace efforts in the area.
Those posthumously honoured by President Tinubu included the late Ogoni leaders, namely, Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage and Samuel Orage, famously known as the ‘Ogoni Four.’
The president had earlier also posthumously conferred national honours on the famous Ogoni Nine, including Saro-Wiwa.
The president said that the report of the Ogoni Consultations Committee, which he received, should pave the way for enduring peace in the area.
It will be recalled that trouble started in Ogoniland in Rivers State in 1994, following the internecine strife that culminated in the lynching of the Ogoni Four by irate youths. They were reportedly holding a meeting in Giokoo community in the Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State when they were seized by the mob and murdered.
General Abacha later set up a military tribunal that tried Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogoni leaders.
The tribunal found them guilty and they were summarily executed, with their killing earning Nigeria global condemnation and isolation.
Speaking on Wednesday, President Tinubu called on the people of Ogoniland to embrace reconciliation and unity after decades of division.
He prayed that the memories of the ‘Ogoni Four’ would continue to inspire unity, courage, and purpose in Nigeria.
“I urge the Ogoni people across classes, communities, and generations to close ranks, put this dark chapter behind us, and move forward as a united community with one voice,” he stated.
The president has equally ordered the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to ensure the development of lasting peace in the Niger Delta region of the country.
He pledged his administration’s support for peace, environmental remediation, and economic revival in Ogoniland, while confirming plans to facilitate the resumption of oil production in the area.
“I am encouraged by the overwhelming consensus of the Ogoni communities to welcome the resumption of oil production. The government will deploy every resource to support your people in this march towards shared prosperity,” the President declared.
Tinubu recalled that in 2022 the previous administration handed the operatorship of the Ogoni oil field to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its partners, and stressed that his government would build on that decision.
Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara, was also in attendance at the event.
Earlier, Ribadu reported that the consultations engaged all four Ogoni zones and the diaspora, capturing demands for structured participation in oil production, accelerated cleanup, and sustainable development.
Professor Don Baridam, chair of the Dialogue Committee, said the report reflected the collective will of the Ogoni people and should serve as a blueprint for implementation through an inter-agency task force.
Fielding questions after the event, Ribadu reaffirmed Tinubu’s commitment to peace, stability, and inclusive development in the Niger Delta.
He said the administration would strictly implement all directives to consolidate peace and correct past injustices.
“Peace is being restored already, and Nigerians will soon see the benefits, not just in Ogoniland, but across the Niger Delta and beyond,” Ribadu assured.
Oil exploration in Ogoniland has been suspended since 1993 following protests against environmental degradation, culminating in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists in 1995.
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