President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately commence engagement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Ogoni people, and other relevant stakeholders to finalise modalities for the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland.
The directive followed the presentation of the report by the Presidential Committee on the Ogoni Consultations, chaired by Professor Don Baridam, at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday. Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, led the Ogoni delegation to the ceremony.
During the event, President Tinubu also conferred posthumous national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on four Ogoni leaders who lost their lives in the struggle for environmental protection of their land: Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Albert Bade, Chief Samuel Orage, and Chief Theophilus Orage. This comes after the President, in June, honoured Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists killed under the Sani Abacha regime.
While commending the Baridam-led committee for its dedication, Tinubu urged the Ogoni people to embrace dialogue and reconciliation, assuring them that the Federal Government is determined to safeguard their environment and support their march toward shared prosperity.
“We are not, as a government, taking lightly the years of pain endured in Ogoniland. We recognise that, otherwise, we would not be here today. 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 said.
NSA Ribadu noted that the process was anchored on dialogue and confidence-building measures, including progress on the East-West Road and the establishment of the University of Environment and Technology, which helped foster trust among stakeholders.
Governor Fubara also highlighted that Tinubu’s interventions had already restored hope in Ogoniland, citing infrastructural progress and educational initiatives as positive steps.
Committee Chairman, Prof. Don Baridam, thanked the President for his commitment and described the dialogue process as a historic pathway to reconciliation and renewed development.
📩 Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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