Abuja, September 24, 2025 – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately begin engagements with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), Ogoni communities in Rivers State, and other stakeholders to resume oil production in Ogoniland.
The directive came during a meeting at the State House, Abuja, where President Tinubu received the report of the Presidential Committee on Ogoni Consultations, chaired by Prof. Don Baridam, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt. The delegation was led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Oil exploration in Ogoniland was halted in 1993 after widespread protests by the indigenes over environmental degradation. The protests culminated in the 1995 execution of writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, collectively known as the Ogoni Nine, under the military regime of Gen. Sani Abacha.
At the event, President Tinubu praised the committee for their “dedication and wisdom” in guiding a sensitive reconciliation process, urging the Ogoni people to embrace dialogue as the pathway to justice and sustainable development.
In a symbolic move, 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—who died in the struggle for environmental justice. Senator Magnus Abe, a member of the delegation, described the award as “sealing the peace process” following earlier recognition of the Ogoni Nine.
Acknowledging decades of hardship, the President said: “We are not taking lightly the years of pain endured in Ogoniland. The Federal Government truly acknowledges the long suffering of the Ogoni people. Hope is here and is back with us. We have to restart oil production now. Dead assets are not valuable to the community, the country, or the people.”
He further directed the Minister of Environment to collaborate with the NSA in integrating environmental remediation and community programs into the broader implementation process. “Environmental remediation will renew oil production, and we must ensure efficient functionality as an instrument of action,” he added.
Addressing Ogoni communities, Tinubu urged unity: “Close ranks and move forward. This reconciliation is not an erasure of history; it is the commitment to write the next chapter together. Government will deploy every resource to support Ogoni people in the march towards shared prosperity.”
NSA Ribadu described the initiative as “transformational,” aimed at restoring hope and rebuilding trust. An inter-agency task force, including NNPC Ltd., ministries, and the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, will oversee implementation of the report.
Governor Fubara commended the Federal Government’s renewed seriousness, pledging full cooperation, while Committee Chairman Baridam called the report “a blueprint for the future,” highlighting demands for structured participation in oil production, accelerated environmental clean-up, and sustainable development.
Prominent activist Ledum Mitee described the meeting as “a new dawn for Ogoni people,” citing ongoing plans for targeted employment, a University of Environmental Technology, and an industrial park. Kenneth Kobani, son of one of the Ogoni Four, expressed gratitude for the recognition of his father’s sacrifices, noting that the actions signal a positive path forward for both Ogoni and Nigeria.
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