Tinubu honours Ogoni Four, moves to restart Oil exploration in Ogoniland

President Bola Tinubu has posthumously conferred the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on four slain Ogoni leaders, Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage, popularly known as the “Ogoni Four.”

The President made the announcement on Wednesday while receiving the report of the Ogoni Consultation Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He urged the Ogoni people to embrace peace and reconciliation after decades of division.

“May their memories continue to inspire unity, courage, and purpose among us. I urge the Ogoni people across classes, communities, and generations to close ranks, put this dark chapter behind us, and move forward as a united community with one voice,” Tinubu said.

The President assured stakeholders of his administration’s support for peace, environmental restoration, and economic revival in Ogoniland while confirming that oil exploration would resume in the area.

He noted that in 2022, the last administration handed over the operatorship of the Ogoni oil field to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its partners, stressing that his government would build on that decision. Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately begin talks with Ogoni leaders, NNPCL, and stakeholders to finalise modalities for restarting operations.

Oil exploration in Ogoniland came to a halt in 1993 after protests against environmental degradation, culminating in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others in 1995.

“A dead asset is not valuable to the community, the country, or the people. The longer we procrastinate, the worse it is for everyone,” Tinubu said, also instructing the Minister of Environment to integrate pollution cleanup and environmental recovery into ongoing dialogue with the people.

Chairman of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, Professor Don Baridam, said the report captured the people’s demands for structured participation in oil production, renewed environmental cleanup, and a sustainable development framework.

Ribadu, who presented the report, added that the exercise reflected the collective will of Ogoni people across the four zones and should serve as a blueprint for lasting peace and development.