ABUJA: The Federal Government on Wednesday moved a step closer to restarting oil exploration in Ogoniland, following the submission of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee report to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At the ceremony, President Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to commence high-level engagements with Ogoni communities, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for resuming oil operations in the area.
The president also mandated the Minister of Environment to ensure that pollution remediation and environmental restoration efforts remain central to ongoing discussions with the Ogoni people.
In a symbolic gesture, President Tinubu used the occasion to honour the memory of the murdered Ogoni Four Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage whose deaths 31 years ago set the stage for the trial and eventual execution of renowned environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others under the regime of the late General Sani Abacha.
The four slain leaders were posthumously conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) award, placing them among the nation’s distinguished honourees.
It would be recalled that the president had earlier posthumously conferred national honours on the famous Ogoni Nine, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, in recognition of their struggle for environmental justice and equity in the Niger Delta.
By directing the NSA to coordinate peace-building efforts, President Tinubu signaled his administration’s determination to resolve long-standing grievances in Ogoniland and unlock opportunities for sustainable development in the region.
