… urges Ogoni leaders to Forget historical grievances, reconcile
President Bola Tinubu has urged the Ogoni people to set aside historical grievances and work together to achieve peace, development, and a clean environment.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja when he received a delegation led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, he said his administration would prioritise peace, justice, and sustainable development in the area.
Urging unity and reconciliation, President Tinubu said: “We cannot in any way rewrite history, but we can correct some anomalies of the past going forward. We cannot heal the wounds if we continue to be angry.”
He directed the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate the negotiations as he called for inclusive consultation and mutual understanding.
The President commended the delegation for embracing the Federal Government-led dialogue and emphasised the need for collaboration, trust, and inclusiveness to resolve lingering issues in the region.
“We must work together with mutual trust. Go back home, do more consultations, and embrace others. We must make this trip worthwhile by bringing peace, development, and a clean environment back to Ogoniland,” President Tinubu said.
He asked ministers, the NNPCL, and the Rivers State Government to cooperate with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to achieve this mandate.
“It is a great honour for me to have this meeting, which is an opportunity to dialogue with the people of Ogoniland.
“It has been many years since your children and myself partnered to resist military dictatorship in this country. No one dreamt I would be in this chair as President, but we thank God.
“Many of your sons present here were my friends and co-travellers in the streets of Nigeria, Europe, and America.
“I know what to do in memory of our beloved ones so that their sacrifices will not be in vain,” the President said.
Governor Fubara thanked the President for his support of the Ogoni people and for welcoming an all-inclusive representation of the people to the Presidential Villa.
He said the meeting was a follow-up to an assignment the President gave him through the National Security Adviser.
Emphasising the importance of resuming oil operations in Ogoniland, the governor pledged the delegation’s commitment to adhering to the President’s instructions and providing the necessary support to achieve the government’s objectives.
“What we are doing here today is to concretise the love and respect we have for the President for being behind this meeting and for him to tell us to go back and continue the consultations with a timeline so that the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland will commence,” he said.
The National Security Adviser commended the Ogoni people for their trust in President Tinubu and for embracing dialogue as a path to meaningful progress and enduring solutions.
“Guided by Mr President’s vision that every voice is heard and every interest is considered, my office, the DSS, the government of Rivers State and the Minister of FCT embarked on a diligent and consultative process to assemble this delegation,” Ribadu said.
He noted that the over 50-member delegation that met with the President reflected the rich diversity of Ogoni society, representing various constituencies, interests, and viewpoints.
“The presence of this delegation is a testament to the Ogoni people’s readiness to engage constructively in the pursuit of peace, justice, and sustainable development,” he said.
A representative of the Ogoni leadership, King Festus Babari Bagia Gberesaako XIII, the Gberemene of Gokana Kingdom, expressed the community leaders’ willingness to engage in the process of finding lasting solutions to the lingering challenges in Ogoniland.
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, joined the meeting.
Among the members of the delegation were Fubara Senators Lee Maeba, Magnus Abe, Olaka Nwogu, Bennett Birabi Barry, Mpigi, and Joe Poroma; Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, and Leedom Mitee.
Also in attendance are the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari; the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abba; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed; the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh; and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The meeting followed growing calls by a coalition of civil society organizations for the Federal Government to allocate $1 trillion for the cleanup of the Niger Delta and compensate communities for their lost livelihoods before any resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland.
The demands were made in a joint statement signed by Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF).
The groups expressed concern over the government’s reported plans to restart oil activities in the region, describing it as a disregard for environmental justice.
The statement also emphasized the historical environmental devastation in Ogoniland, as documented in the 2011 UNEP report, which detailed widespread pollution of land, water, and air.
The coalition criticized the government for failing to fully implement the UNEP recommendations or prioritize the environmental restoration of the area
