21st January, 2025
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday met with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and leaders of the oil rich Ogoni community in Rivers State at the Aso Rock presidential villa Abuja.
Others present at the meeting include traditional rulers, clergy and political leaders of 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 stoppage of oil exploration by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Ogoniland for many years.
Ogoni leaders at the meeting include 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 include 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 are the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited NNPCL, Mele Kyari, the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Tosin Ajayi.
The meeting was held against 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 (HYPREP).
“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.
