Tinubu Orders NSA, NNPCL to Engage Ogoni on Oil Production Resumption
By NaijaEnquirer Staff
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately commence engagements with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Ogoni leaders, and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for the long-awaited resumption of oil production in Ogoniland.
Presidential Committee Report
The directive followed the submission of the Presidential Committee on Ogoni Consultations, chaired by Professor Don Baridam, at the State House in Abuja. Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara led the Ogoni delegation to the presentation ceremony.
Addressing Decades of Suffering
Tinubu assured the Ogoni people that his administration recognised their decades of suffering and sacrifices in the struggle for justice and environmental protection. He pledged to begin by addressing “non-valuable assets” that offer no benefit to the community or nation.
“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 back with us,” the President said.
Unity and Reconciliation
Calling for unity, Tinubu urged the Ogoni people to “close ranks” and put divisions behind them. “This reconciliation is not an erasure of history but a commitment to write the next chapter together,” he said, noting the overwhelming consensus to welcome oil production under an equitable tax system.
Posthumous Honours
In a gesture of reconciliation, Tinubu conferred posthumous national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on four Ogoni leaders—Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Albert Bade, Chief Samuel Orage, and Chief Theophilus Orage. This follows the June 2025 honours awarded to Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists executed under the Abacha regime.
Stakeholder Commitments
NSA Nuhu Ribadu said the consultative process had succeeded in mediating tensions, with all parties now committed to oil resumption anchored on fairness, equity, environmental responsibility, and direct community benefits. He disclosed plans to reposition HYPREP to align with the dialogue process and ensure structured community participation through equity funds, employment, and reforms.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara hailed Tinubu’s confidence-building steps, pointing to progress on the East-West Road and the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology as evidence of renewed faith in government commitments.
Committee’s Appreciation
Committee chairman Professor Don Baridam thanked the President for his unwavering commitment, stressing that Tinubu’s approach had “restored hope that had long been thwarted.” He also lauded the posthumous recognition of Ogoni martyrs as a mark of justice and reconciliation.
