- Directs Ribadu to coordinate negotiations, inclusive consultation
President Bola Tinubu assured Ogoni leaders on Tuesday in Abuja that his administration would prioritise peace, justice, and sustainable development in the area.
At a meeting at the State House in Abuja, President Tinubu passionately called for unity and reconciliation, urging the Ogoni people to set aside historical grievances and work together to achieve peace, development, and a clean environment.
“We cannot in any way rewrite history, but we can correct some anomalies of the past going forward. We cannot heal the wounds if we continue to be angry,” he said.
According to a statement signed by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate the negotiations as he called for inclusive consultation and mutual understanding.
The President commended the delegation for embracing the Federal Government-led dialogue and emphasised the need for collaboration, trust, and inclusiveness to resolve lingering issues in the region.
“We must work together with mutual trust. Go back home, do more consultations, and embrace others. We must make this trip worthwhile by bringing peace, development, and a clean environment back to Ogoniland,” President Tinubu said.
He asked ministers, the NNPCL, and the Rivers State Government to cooperate with the Office of the National Security Adviser to achieve this mandate.
“It is a great honour for me to have this meeting, which is an opportunity to dialogue with the people of Ogoniland.
“It has been many years since your children and myself partnered to resist military dictatorship in this country. No one dreamt I would be in this chair as President, but we thank God.
“Many of your sons present here were my friends and co-travellers in the streets of Nigeria, Europe, and America.
“I know what to do in memory of our beloved ones so that their sacrifices will not be in vain,” the President said.
Governor Fubara thanked the President for his support of the Ogoni people and for welcoming an all-inclusive representation of the people to the Presidential Villa.
He said the meeting was a follow-up to an assignment the President gave him through the National Security Adviser.
Emphasising the importance of resuming oil operations in Ogoniland, the governor pledged the delegation’s commitment to adhering to the President’s instructions and providing the necessary support to achieve the government’s objectives.
“What we are doing here today is to concretise the love and respect we have for the President for being behind this meeting and for him to tell us to go back and continue the consultations with a timeline so that the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland will commence,” he said.
The National Security Adviser commended the Ogoni people for their trust in President Tinubu and for embracing dialogue as a path to meaningful progress and enduring solutions.
“Guided by Mr. President’s vision that every voice is heard and every interest is considered, my office, the DSS, the government of Rivers State and the Minister of FCT embarked on a diligent and consultative process to assemble this delegation,” Ribadu said.
He noted that the over 50-member delegation that met with the President reflected the rich diversity of Ogoni society, representing various constituencies, interests, and viewpoints.
“The presence of this delegation is a testament to the Ogoni people’s readiness to engage constructively in the pursuit of peace, justice, and sustainable development,” he said.
A representative of the Ogoni leadership, King Festus Babari Bagia Gberesaako XIII, the Gberemene of Gokana Kingdom, expressed the community leaders’ willingness to engage in the process of finding lasting solutions to the lingering challenges in Ogoniland.
Others present at the meeting included traditional rulers, clergy and political leaders of the Ogoni community.
It was believed that the meeting was part of the ongoing efforts geared at preparing the ground for resumption of oil exploration activities in Ogoniland.
The Federal Government had expressed concern over the stoppage of oil exploration by the International Oil Companies in Ogoniland for many years.
Ogoni leaders at the meeting included Senator Magnus Abe, Senator Lee Maeba, Olaka Nwogu, Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, Leedom Mitee, as well as Senators Bennett Birabi Barry, Mpigi and Joe Poroma, Leedom Mitee, Gabriel Piidomson, among others.
Apart from President Bola Tinubu, the Federal government’s team at the meeting included National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed and Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh.
The others were the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, the Director General of the Department of State Service, Tosin Ajayi.
The meeting was held against a recent call by a group, the Concerned Civil Society Organisations for restraint on the planned resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland.
The group cited environmental degradation, social injustices, and a lack of meaningful community engagement as the reasons for the call for caution.
The groups, representing various stakeholders across the Niger Delta, issued their statement after a meeting at the Port Harcourt office of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria.
The statement was endorsed by several organisations, including Environmental Rights Action, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Ogoni Solidarity Forum-Nigeria, and others.
According to the groups, the call for a restraint follows an invitation by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for select Ogoni leaders to attend a private meeting in Abuja to discuss resuming oil production.
The civil organisations criticised this approach, describing it as dismissive of the collective will of the Ogoni people, whose lands and livelihoods have been devastated by decades of reckless oil exploitation.
“Ogoniland remains a stark example of environmental degradation, with decades of oil spills, gas flaring, and poor remediation efforts leaving land, water, and air heavily polluted.
“The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland in 2011 highlighted the catastrophic effects of oil activities, including severe health impacts and economic losses for the Ogoni people.
“Despite the report’s recommendations, implementation has been slow, with the Nigerian government and oil companies accused of neglecting cleanup efforts.
“The attempt to resume oil extraction without addressing these environmental crises is an affront to the Ogoni people’s right to a safe environment,” the statement read.
The groups outlined a series of demands aimed at ensuring justice, environmental restoration, and sustainable development in Ogoniland and the broader Niger Delta.
They called for the allocation of $1 trillion for the cleanup of the land and compensation for lost livelihood.
“Full and transparent execution of the UNEP report’s recommendations and increased funding for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project.
“Review of the military trial and execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other environmental activists, along with their exoneration
“Enforcement of strict regulations and holding oil companies, particularly Shell, accountable for past damages.
“Prioritising a shift away from fossil fuels to mitigate environmental harm and address climate change,” the coalition said.
They urged the Federal Government to recognise Ken Saro-Wiwa, an Ogoni environmental activist executed in 1995, as a hero of the environment, similar to the national honour conferred on MKO Abiola for his role in democracy.
