President Bola Tinubu has appointed the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as the chief negotiator for the resumption of oil drilling in Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.
Oil production activities in Ogoniland were halted in 1993, following extensive unrest and protests by local communities.
The demonstrations were a response to the severe environmental degradation caused by operations of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, which was later forced to withdraw its operations from the area.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday met with Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and key leaders from Ogoniland at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Others in attendance included Ribadu, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari; Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abba; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed; Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh; Senator Magnus Abe, Chief Victor Giadom and the late Ken Saro-Wiwa’s brother, Owens.
The meeting was also attended by the leaders of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and other Ogoni stakeholders.
It was believed that the meeting was part of the ongoing efforts geared at preparing the ground for resumption of oil exploration activities in Ogoniland .
The federal government had expressed concern over stoppage of oil exploration by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Ogoniland for many years.
Bayo Onanuga, Presidential Spokesman, in a statement, after the President’s meeting at the State House in Abuja, with the leaders of Ogoniland, said the President, passionately 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
It was gathered that the President, who is desirous of achieving his 2.06 million barrels of crude oil per day as stated in the 2025 budget, using the meeting to ensure smooth operations by oil companies, in the Niger Delta region
