Ogoni Clean-Up: Tinubu Directs NSA, NNPCL To Lead Reconciliation, Negotiations
President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to oversee fresh consultations and negotiations on the clean-up and development of Ogoniland.
Tinubu directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Rivers State Government to liaise with the NSA to achieve the mandate aimed at delivering peace, justice, and sustainable development to Ogoniland.
During a meeting with Ogoni leaders at the State House on Tuesday in Abuja, Tinubu urged the people to move beyond historical grievances and embrace unity and reconciliation.
“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,” said Tinubu.
He appealed for mutual trust and collaboration to address longstanding challenges facing Ogoniland, including environmental degradation and economic instability caused by decades of oil exploration.
“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.
“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 added.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, who led the delegation, reaffirmed the Ogoni people’s readiness to support the Federal Government’s efforts to achieve the goals.
He described the meeting as a follow-up to the president’s earlier directive to the NSA, noting the importance of resuming oil production in Ogoniland.
“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.
On his part, the NSA commended the Ogoni people for their trust in President Tinubu and for embracing dialogue.
“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.
“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.”
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.
The meeting came eight months after Tinubu hosted members of the Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers of Ogoni, Rivers State, led by King Samuel Nnee, Gbenemene Tai Kingdom and Paramount Ruler of Kpite Tai.
It also came amidst growing tensions over the Federal Government’s reported plans to resume crude oil production in Ogoniland, which has drawn criticism from environmental and civil rights groups.
On Tuesday, a coalition of civil society organizations had demanded a $1tn allocation to clean up the Niger Delta and compensate residents for decades of environmental degradation and lost livelihoods before the resumption of crude oil production.
The coalition which includes Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) condemned the proposed resumption of oil activities in Ogoniland as a violation of environmental justice and the rights of the Ogoni people.
The groups cited the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which detailed extensive environmental damage in Ogoniland, including severe pollution of land, water, and air caused by years of unchecked oil exploration. They lamented the government’s failure to fully implement the UNEP recommendations or prioritize the cleanup of the region, despite international pressure and local advocacy.
The coalition also criticized the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for convening a separate closed-door meeting in Abuja with select Ogoni stakeholders, labelling it a divisive move that undermines ongoing consultations with the Ogoni community.
In their demands, the group called for a halt to all oil production plans in Ogoniland until meaningful consultations with the Ogoni people are conducted and the environment is fully remediated.
They also sought justice for environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni leaders executed in 1995, urging the government to exonerate them, return the confiscated Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Bus sculpture, and recognize Saro-Wiwa as an environmental hero.
Additional demands included the immediate implementation of the UNEP report, holding oil companies, particularly Shell, accountable for environmental damage and human rights violations, and transitioning to renewable energy to mitigate further harm.
The coalition also called for an end to military intimidation in the Niger Delta and ensure decisions involving Ogoniland align with the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).
Ogoni Clean-Up: Tinubu Directs NSA, NNPCL To Lead Reconciliation, Negotiations is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
