President Tinubu restarts oil production in Ogoniland and bestows posthumous national honors on four Ogoni leaders.

 

President Bola Tinubu today, September 24, conferred posthumous National Honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON, on the late Ogoni four Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage.

President Tinubu bestowed the honours on the four leaders, while receiving the report of the Ogoni Consultations Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. 

 The late Ogoni leaders, remembered as part of the vanguard that resisted oppression in the Niger Delta, were executed alongside renowned activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, in 1995 by the military regime of General Sani Abacha, a move that drew global outrage and placed Nigeria under international sanctions.

While receiving the Ogoni Consultation Committee, the President urged the people of Ogoniland to embrace reconciliation and unity after decades of division.

“May their memories continue to inspire unity, courage and purpose among us. I urge the Ogoni people across classes, communities and generations to close ranks, put this dark chapter behind us and move forward as a united community with one voice.”

President Tinubu pledged his administration’s support for peace, environmental remediation, and economic revival in Ogoniland, while confirming plans to facilitate the resumption of oil production in the area.

“I am encouraged by the overwhelming consensus of the Ogoni communities to welcome the resumption of oil production. The government will deploy every resource to support your people in this march towards shared prosperity.”

The President recalled that in 2022 the previous administration handed the operatorship of the Ogoni oil field to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL and its partners, and stressed that his government would build on that decision.

He directed the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to begin engagements between Ogoni communities, NNPCL, and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for restarting operations. The Minister of Environment was also tasked to integrate pollution remediation into ongoing dialogue with the people.

Oil exploration in Ogoniland has been suspended since 1993 following protests against environmental degradation, culminating in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists in 1995.