National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has been directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to spearhead immediate engagement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Ogoni people, and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland.
The directive came on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja, where President Tinubu received the report of the Presidential Committee on the Ogoni Consultations, chaired by Professor Don Baridam. The report was presented in the presence of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who led the Ogoni delegation.
In his remarks, Ribadu explained that the President had earlier approved several confidence-building steps that helped restore trust among stakeholders. These included the establishment of the Governing Council for the Federal University of Environment and Technology, as well as notable progress on the East-West Road. He noted that divisions and tensions were carefully mediated throughout the consultations, resulting in an inclusive process that produced a collective report.
“All through the process, dialogue prevailed over confrontation, and today, all parties have reached readiness to see the responsible resumption of oil production in Ogoniland anchored on fairness, equity, environmental responsibility, and direct community benefit,” Ribadu said.
President Tinubu, while commending the committee for its work, emphasised his administration’s commitment to reconciliation and sustainable development in Ogoniland. He assured stakeholders that the Federal Government would deploy necessary resources to safeguard the environment and support the Ogoni people in achieving shared prosperity.
“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,” the President said.
He further urged Ogoni communities to put divisions behind them, embrace reconciliation, and work towards a united future.
In a symbolic gesture of recognition, the President also conferred the posthumous national honour 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—who lost their lives in the struggle for environmental justice. This followed the June honours conferred on Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists.
Governor Fubara praised the confidence-building measures initiated by President Tinubu, noting their impact on infrastructural and institutional projects in the Niger Delta.
Committee Chairman, Professor Baridam, expressed gratitude to the President for his foresight in placing the process under the leadership of the NSA, describing Ribadu’s “steady hand of diplomacy and insistence on dialogue” as pivotal in restoring hope to the Ogoni people.