Nigeria is looking to resume proper oil production in the largely contested Ogoniland in the oil-rich Niger Delta area of the country.
This was the core discussion on Tuesday when President Bola Tinubu received Ogoni leaders including Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State at the Aso Villa alongside Mr Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The President directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate negotiations with various parties within to resume oil production in the area, emphasising that his administration will prioritise peace, justice, and sustainable development in the area.
Business Post reports that the contestation between locals and the government and other stakeholders over oil production in Ogoniland stems from a combination of environmental, socio-economic, political, and human rights issues that have persisted for decades.
At the meeting, Mr Tinubu called for unity and reconciliation, urging the Ogoni people to set aside historical grievances and work together to achieve peace, development, and a clean environment.
“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,” Mr Tinubu said, according to a statement by his spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
“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,” the President said.
He asked ministers, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, 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.
On his part, 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.
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.
Also, the NSA commended the Ogoni people for their trust in President Tinubu and for embracing dialogue as a path to meaningful progress and enduring solutions.
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.