Hot Source•Receives report on Ogoni dialogue, pushes for resumption of oil production
•Promises communities federal support
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
In a symbolic move, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, conferred posthumous national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on the four Ogoni heroes murdered in May 1994 during the Sani Abacha junta in their struggle for environmental justice.
The honourees were Chiefs Edward Kobani, Albert Bade, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.
Tinubu, who disclosed the honours at State House, Abuja, while receiving the report of the Presidential Committee on the Ogoni Consultations, chaired by former Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Don Baridam, prayed that the memories of the four Ogoni sons “continue to inspire unity and purpose among Nigerians”.
Oil exploration in Ogoniland was suspended in 1993 following widespread protests against environmental degradation, leading to the tragic execution of writer-activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others in 1995 by the Abacha military regime.
However, against the backdrop of yesterday’s development, Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to start engagement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Ogoni communities, and other stakeholders. He said this would be towards finalising modalities for the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland after more than three decades of shutdown.
The president hailed the committee for its “dedication and wisdom” in guiding a delicate process, and urged the Ogoni people to embrace reconciliation and dialogue as the only path to justice and development.
Tinubu stated, “I commend the dialogue committee for the wisdom with which they guided this process. More importantly, let’s thank the Ogoni people for embracing dialogue and reconciliation as the surest path to justice and development.”
Recognising the decades of struggle, the president stressed , “We are not as a government taking lightly the years of pain endured in Ogoniland.
“The federal government truly acknowledges the long suffering of the Ogoni people, and today we declare with conviction that hope is here and is back with us.”
Tinubu mandated the NSA to convene immediate engagements between the Ogoni people, NNPCL, and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for the restarting of oil production.
According to him, “We have to start now. Dead assets are not valuable to the community, the country and the people. The further we leave it and the longer we procrastinate, the greater the losses.”
The president also directed Minister of Environment to work with the NSA to integrate environmental remediation and community programmes into a broader dialogue and implementation process.
“Environmental remediation will renew oil production, and we must ensure efficient functionality as an instrument of action,” he emphasised.
Tinubu charged Ogoni leaders and communities to put aside divisions and move forward in unity.
He said, “I urge Ogoni people across communities and generations to close ranks and put this dark chapter behind us. This reconciliation is not an erasure of history; it is the commitment to write the next chapter together.
“Government will deploy every resource to support the Ogoni people in its march towards shared prosperity.”
Presenting the committee’s report, Ribadu described the process as transformational, saying it is aimed at restoring hope and rebuilding trust after years of neglect and conflict.
According to him, an inter-agency taskforce, including NNPCL, ministries, and the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, would oversee implementation.
“Peace is already being restored, and Nigerians will soon see the benefits, not just in Ogoniland, but across the Niger Delta and beyond,” Ribadu said.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who led the Rivers delegation, hailed the renewed seriousness of the federal government.
Fubara said, “Finally, there is every sign that this government is serious about resolving these issues, and I think we need to give them all the necessary opportunity and time to ensure this problem is resolved once and for all.” He pledged his full cooperation.
The chairman of the committee, Baridam, said the report reflected the collective will of the Ogoni people, highlighting demands for structured participation in oil production, accelerated clean-up, and sustainable development.
He described the document as “a blueprint for the future”.
Speaking with newsmen after the ceremony, prominent activist and former President of Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee, said the meeting signalled a “new dawn” for Ogoni.
“We are leaving here with hope that something practical is being done and that our matters have received a hearing at the highest level,” he said.
Mitee stated that progress had already begun, including targeted employment and plans for a University of Environmental Technology and an industrial park.
Former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, and son of the late Edward Kobani, one of the Ogoni Four, Kenneth Kobani, stated, “What the president has done today has shown that Nigeria can actually be a better place. No matter how long it takes, Ogoni and Nigeria as a whole are on the right path.”
He thanked Tinubu and Ribadu for recognising the sacrifices of his father and others.
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