By Bolaji Ogundele,The Nation

Copyright thenationonlineng

…awards posthumous national honours to ‘Ogoni Four’

…assures communities of federal support

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately commence engagement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Ogoni communities, and other stakeholders, to finalise modalities for the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland after more than three decades of shutdown.

The President gave the order at the State House, Abuja, while receiving the report of the Presidential Committee on the Ogoni Consultations, chaired by former Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Don Baridam.

The delegation was led by Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

President Tinubu praised the committee for what he described as “dedication and wisdom” in guiding a delicate process, and urged the Ogoni people to embrace reconciliation and dialogue as the only path to justice and development.

“I commend the dialogue committee for the wisdom with which they guided this process. More importantly, let’s thank the Ogoni people for embracing dialogue and reconciliation as the surest path to justice and development,” the President said.

Acknowledging the decades of struggle, he added, “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 is back with us.”

President Tinubu mandated the NSA to convene immediate engagements between the Ogoni people, NNPCL, and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for restarting oil production.

“We have to start now. Dead assets are not valuable to the community, the country and the people. The further we leave it and the longer we procrastinate, the greater the losses,” Tinubu said.

He also directed the Minister of Environment to work with the NSA to integrate environmental remediation and community programmes into a broader dialogue and implementation process.

“Environmental remediation will renew oil production, and we must ensure efficient functionality as an instrument of action,” he added.

Tinubu urged Ogoni leaders and communities to put aside divisions and move forward in unity.

“I urge Ogoni people across communities and generations to close ranks and put this dark chapter behind us. 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 the Ogoni people in its march towards shared prosperity,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a symbolic gesture, President Tinubu conferred posthumous national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on nine Ogoni heroes who died in the struggle for environmental justice. They included Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Albert Bade, Chief Samuel Orage, and Chief Theophilus Orage.

He prayed that their memories “continue to inspire unity and purpose among Nigerians.”

Presenting the committee’s report, NSA Ribadu described the process as transformational, aimed at restoring hope and rebuilding trust after years of neglect and conflict.

He said an inter-agency task force, including NNPCL, ministries, and the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, would oversee implementation.

“Peace is already being restored, and Nigerians will soon see the benefits, not just in Ogoniland, but across the Niger Delta and beyond,” Ribadu said.

Governor Fubara, in his remarks, hailed the renewed seriousness of the Federal Government.

“Finally, there is every sign that this government is serious about resolving these issues, and I think we need to give them all the necessary opportunity and time to ensure this problem is resolved once and for all,” he said, pledging his full cooperation.

Committee chairman, Professor Don Baridam, said the report reflected the collective will of the Ogoni people, highlighting demands for structured participation in oil production, accelerated cleanup, and sustainable development.

He described the document as “a blueprint for the future.”

Prominent activist and former President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee, told journalists that the meeting signaled a “new dawn” for Ogoni.

“We are leaving here with hope that something practical is being done and that our matters have received a hearing at the highest level,” he said.

Mitee noted that progress had already begun, including targeted employment and plans for a University of Environmental Technology and an industrial park.

Former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment and son of the late Edward Kobani, one of the Ogoni Four, Kenneth Kobani, was emotional.

“What the President has done today has shown that Nigeria can actually be a better place. No matter how long it takes, Ogoni and Nigeria as a whole are on the right path,” he said.

He thanked Tinubu and Ribadu for recognizing the sacrifices of his father and others.

Oil exploration in Ogoniland was suspended in 1993 following widespread protests against environmental degradation, leading to the tragic execution of writer-activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others in 1995 by the then-military regime—a watershed moment in Nigeria’s environmental and human rights history.