By Daniel Abia, Port Harcourt
It has taken over three decades since oil exploration was stopped in Ogoniland. But fresh indications suggest that crude production in the area may resume soon due to a sustained negotiation by the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Rivers State Government as well as Ogoni stakeholders.
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In a seeming confirmation of this optimism, a high-level federal government delegation led by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, visited Ogoniland on Monday to consolidate the ongoing peace process and address outstanding demands of the Ogoni people.
The high-stakes delegation to the oil and gas-rich Rivers state included the Minister of Works, David Umahi, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Coordinator of the HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, among others
The Ogoni people, through the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, have long demanded environmental freedom among others from oil and gas resources extracted from there over the years.
Oil production in Ogoniland, which is located in the Niger Delta area of the country, was suspended in 1993 following widespread protests against environmental degradation linked to the deadly operations of Shell Company of Nigeria. Ogoni is rich in oil and gas with five major oil fields, comprising 110 oil wells connected to flow stations at Bomu, Yorla, Bodo West, Korokoro, and Ebubu in Eleme. It also contains Oil Mining Lease 11, which hosts 33 oil and gas fields, making Ogoni one of the richest areas in the country. Nevertheless, Ribadu expressed optimism that Ogoniland could become a symbol of national renewal. “Ogoniland is beginning to look like a turning point for Nigeria,” the NSA assured, adding that “a new chapter is opening. Nigeria will not remain what it used to be. Things are changing, and that change is starting with Ogoni.”
On his part, Rivers state Governor, Siminalaye Fubara reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to President Tinubu’s vision for the Niger Delta, stating that the decades-long Ogoni crisis was gradually giving way to tangible progress in infrastructure development, employment opportunities, and environmental remediation.
“For over three decades, this issue has remained a recurring challenge,” Fubara said. “I want to thank Mr. President for the boldness, determination, and courage to say, ‘Let us start from somewhere.’”
The Minister of Environment and the NNPCL chief executive both assured that efforts were being intensified to address environmental challenges in the area. They also announced the employment of 30 Ogoni youths under a job creation initiative.
MOSOP’s 500,000 jobs projection
On its part, Movement for the survival of Ogoni people, MOSOP expressed confidence in the ongoing efforts of the Tinubu administration to re-start the exploration of oil and gas in their environment through an all-inclusive dialogue. According to its president, Mr Fegalo Nsuke, “Leadership is about solving problems, The beauty of what is going on is that it is a dialogue. We now have a government that is talking. The interest of Ogoni is being discussed under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, the protection that Ogonis should talk about right now is not the type that protects the environment alone, but the kind that encourages mutual benefits on all sides”.
The MOSOP President acknowledged that the Tinubu administration has sufficiently demonstrated goodwill in the way it is relating to the Ogoni situation. He hinted that roads are being built in the area, the remediation of the environment under HYPREP being implemented, a university put in place while an industrial park is being conceived.
Nsuke projected that given infrastructural developments in Ogoni land, at least 500, 000 jobs are likely to be created in the Ogoni area alone. “Between 2026 and 2031, I see the possibility of over 500,000 accumulated jobs created for the teeming youths of Ogoni through the various operational efforts of the federal government. My appeal to Ogoni people, I mean all the stakeholders: the youths, women, elders and the political leaders, is to allow the ongoing peace process to continue. Yes, our people demand so much and they deserve it all, but every demand cannot be met at once. It is a process”, he said.
Demand for Bori State
It was however, a different atmosphere penultimate Monday when the NSA, Ribadu’s train landed at Kpea community. He was in the mangrove community to inspect the fresh sites of oil spills. At the community, Ribadu’s entourage was stunned when a few villagers came to stage a peaceful protest making various demands including a “better healthcare”, “good road network” and, above all, “Bori state our stand”, among others.
Apparently in a bid to appease the protesters, the NSA grabbed one of the placards with the inscription “Bori state our stand” and raised it above his head to the admiration of the protesters and said, “I like this one”. The NSA’s action raised more questions than any available answers. Could it be that the NSA may want to influence the creation of Bori state? Could it be that he was just trying to impress the huge crowd that came to welcome him? And with just about 800,000 population as of 2025, can we say constitutionally that Ogoni is ripe for a state? Or could it be that Ogoni would be one of the few states that would be created by the Tinubu government?
One thing that is clear is that President Tinubu has shown convincing determination to appease the Ogoni people and re-start oil production in Ogoniland even as he promised to judiciously utilize the resources accrued to better the development of the area.
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