Tinubu meets Wike, Fubara, Ogoni leaders amid Niger Delta cleanup, Political tensions in Rivers  

The meeting was confirmed by Dada Olusegun, the Special Assistant to the President on New Media, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

It was attended by key government figures, including Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and other senior officials.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of demands by a coalition of civil society organizations for a $1 trillion allocation from the Federal Government to address environmental damage and compensate for lost livelihoods in the Niger Delta. The coalition insisted that these actions precede the resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland.

In a joint statement, the organizations—Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)—expressed alarm over the government’s plan to restart oil production in the region.

The statement also referenced the 2011 UNEP report, which documented extensive environmental degradation in Ogoniland caused by oil activities, including widespread pollution of land, water, and air.

The meeting occurred amid a deepening political feud in Rivers State between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Once political allies, the two have been locked in a bitter power struggle since Wike assumed his ministerial role in Tinubu’s cabinet.

Efforts by President Tinubu and elder statesmen to mediate the conflict earlier in October temporarily de-escalated tensions but failed to achieve lasting peace. The fallout has further complicated governance in the oil-rich state and cast a shadow over the federal government’s plans for Ogoniland.

The Niger Delta cleanup and restoration remain contentious issues for successive administrations. The $1 trillion demand shows the scale of environmental degradation in the region, which has suffered decades of oil spills and exploitation.

Environmental advocates are urging the government to prioritize justice for affected communities, ensure transparency in negotiations, and include a broader range of stakeholders in decision-making processes.