Some Ogoni stakeholders have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately halt the resumption of oil-related activities in 17 Ogoni communities in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, citing unresolved environmental damage, displacement and the risk of renewed violence.
Making the call he call during a peaceful protest held in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, they condemned the resumption of oil operations without consultation with host communities and without full remediation of environmental damage caused by past oil exploration
Speaking during the protest, Executive Director of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), Dr. Douglas Fabeke, said oil activities were resuming in communities that were devastated between 1993 and 1998, a period during which over 300 people were reportedly killed during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.
Fabeke said the 17 Lekuma Ogoni communities in Tai Local Government Area were unjustly destroyed during the Ogoni struggle and have yet to be fully restored. According to him, many indigenes remain displaced, with some living as refugees in neighbouring African countries, while others in Nigeria are still homeless.
He warned that the resumption of oil operations in the affected areas posed serious risks to the health and safety of residents, stressing that environmental cleanup and community restoration had not been completed.
Fabeke also alleged that Sahara Energy and other companies had commenced activities in the communities without the consent of the affected people, adding that his organisation had written to the President to draw attention to the situation.
“We are sending this message to Mr. President to issue a directive stopping all activities in these communities and to allow for negotiations on how displaced persons can be restored,” he said.
The OLI further called on the Federal Government to take direct control of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11 and engage the Ogoni people through meaningful and transparent dialogue.
Fabeke recalled that Ogoni communities had previously taken oil companies to court over environmental degradation, a legal action that was settled amicably following government intervention.
He alleged that communities were instructed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to withdraw over 70 court cases based on an agreement that compensation would be paid, but claimed that the Ogoni people were yet to hear from the government on the settlement.
The protesters, drawn from the affected communities, who carried placards with inscriptions such as “No to Oil Resumption,” “Free Ogoni Land from Economic Slavery,” and “NNPCL Bring Back Our $300 Million.” group also rejected Sahara Energy, declared the company a “non-grata” entity that should not be allowed to operate in Ogoni land, while expressing willingness to negotiate with NNPCL and relevant government agencies.
The protesters warned that they would escalate their actions to the Federal Capital Territory and foreign embassies to draw international attention if the Federal Government failed to intervene.
They also demanded accountability for the alleged $300 million compensation fund earmarked for the development and welfare of the Ogoni people.
