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Tag: Ogoni oil

  • Ogoni Oil: Idamkue lists four steps for Tinubu to ensure peaceful resumption

    Ogoni Oil: Idamkue lists four steps for Tinubu to ensure peaceful resumption

    •Calls for Ken Saro-Wiwa Mitigation Fund, genuine stakeholder dialogue

    Environmental public policy consultant and former aide to the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, Dr. John Barika Idamkue, has outlined four key hurdles President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must overcome to ensure the peaceful resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

    In a chat on Saturday, marking his first public intervention on the Ogoni crisis since the execution of the Ogoni 9 on November 10, 1995, Idamkue urged the Tinubu administration to establish a Ken Saro-Wiwa Mitigation Fund, model engagements after Barack Obama’s post-BP oil spill response, and avoid security-led dialogue initiatives that have historically alienated the Ogoni people.

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    Idamkue, who described the executions as “an unjust termination that should never have happened,” said he was moved to speak following President Tinubu’s recent actions acknowledging the historical injustice.

    These include the posthumous national honours conferred on the Ogoni 9 on June 12, 2025, and Tinubu’s January pledge to grant them presidential pardon.

    “The words of the President have aroused some often suppressed, traumatic memories of the pro-democracy struggle in Nigeria, particularly the environmental and social justice campaigns of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), of which I was a key participant as a young man,” Idamkue said.

    While welcoming the symbolic gestures, he warned that the presidential pardon is “just one of 100 steps” needed to rebuild trust and secure Ogoni support for future oil-related initiatives.

  • Ogoni oil resumption: Group sets roadmap for planned pre-negotiation meetings

    Ogoni oil resumption: Group sets roadmap for planned pre-negotiation meetings

    A pan-Ogoni group the “Ogoni Peoples Assembly (OPA) has warned that integrity, inclusivity and contemporary world best-practises should be the  guiding rule in the discussions and decisions to be reached at the town hall meetings to be held prior to possible negotiation meeting with the Federal Government, on oil exploration resumption in Ogoni, Rivers State.

    Ogoni people have concluded plans to organise Town hall meetings to collate inputs, views and demands of indigenes of each of the four Council areas that will form the conditions for oil production re-entry plan in the area.

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    To shape discussions to the meetings to ensure that participants do not derail, the Ogoni elites have outlined 10 crucial areas of needs: the engagements and the decisions should centre on, nothing.

    The group spoke in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, the State capital yesterday by President-General of the group, Rev. Probel William and the Secretary, Epaabari Evidence Enoch and sent to The Nation.

    They warned that OPA will be in the forefront to stop the furtherance of the town hall meetings should they notice any attempt to deviate from the main focus of the meeting and failure to reach the supposed agreements during the engagements.

    “OPA states that we will be in the forefront to stop any engagement and consultation that do not intend to achieve the requests that will meet the critical needs of Ogoni people.”

  • Youths hail Tinubu for resumption of Ogoni oil exploration in Ogoniland

    Youths hail Tinubu for resumption of Ogoni oil exploration in Ogoniland

    Youths of Ogoni Ethnic Nationality in Rivers State, have hailed President Ahmed Tinubu for the courage and political will to end the lingering issues on oil and gas exploration resumption in the area.

    The youths, under the auspices of Ogoni youths stakeholders, also hailed Governor Siminialayi Fubara and the Minister of the Federal capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike for displaying maturity, good sense of leadership and responsibility by participating responsibly in the Presidential delegate meeting against all odds.

    They spoke shortly after their extraordinary meeting in Port Harcourt, the  State capital yesterday, attended by major youth group leaders and critical stakeholders from Ogoniland, including, Joseph Yobo, a former Super Eagle captain.

    The stakeholders were drawn from the nine kingdoms and four council areas of Ogoniland, including Babbe, Eleme, Gokana, Ken-Khana, Nyokhana and Tai, as well as Bori, the traditional headquarter of Ogoniland and Ban Ogoi, special area of Ogoniland. 

    Speaking on the 10-point resolutions reached during the meeting, they backed oil resumption on Oil mining Lease(OML) 11 and 51 and lauded the Presidential delegation for the moves and the presentations to the Federal Government (FG), and give their supports.

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    They expressed confidence in the ability of Tinubu and the committee led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to amicably resolve the issues plaguing oil resumption in Ogoni, to the satisfaction of all parties.

    They however demanded for the inclusion of youths and women to the discussion to strike a balance and robust contribution.

    Speaking on behalf of the group, the National President, Ogoni Youth Federation, Legborsi Yamabana said: “We welcome the idea of oil exploration activities in Ogoniland, as we believe the modus operandi this time would be different from what was obtainable in the past, 

    this we shall support our leaders to make this come to pass.” 

    Yobo lauded Tinubu for reopening the discussion on Ogoni oil resumption, adding that with him in the saddle, there was hope for economic recovery and social justice for the people of Ogoni. 

    He urged the people of the area to accept what is coming with open mind and support the process.