By Cross Udo, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday, held a closed-door meeting with a delegation of Ogoni leaders led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
President Tinubu assured leaders of Ogoniland that his administration would prioritise peace, justice, and sustainable development in the area.
The President also told them that the wounds of the past cannot be healed if the people continue to be angry.
Speaking at a meeting at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, Tinubu 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.
A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, quoted the President as saying: “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.”
However, the President directed the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate the negotiations as he called for inclusive consultation and mutual understanding.
He commended the delegation for embracing the Federal Government-led dialogue and emphasised the need for collaboration, trust, and inclusiveness to resolve lingering issues in the region.
“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,” President Tinubu said.
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He asked ministers, the NNPCL, 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 assured.
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.
He said the meeting was a follow-up to an assignment the President gave him through the National Security Adviser.
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.
The National Security Adviser commended the Ogoni people for their trust in President Tinubu and for embracing dialogue as a path to meaningful progress and enduring solutions.
“Guided by Mr. President’s vision that every voice is heard and every interest is considered, my office, the DSS, the government of Rivers State and the Minister of FCT embarked on a diligent and consultative process to assemble this delegation,” Mallam Ribadu said.
He noted that the over 50-member delegation that met with the President reflected the rich diversity of Ogoni society, representing various constituencies, interests, and viewpoints.
“The presence of this delegation is a testament to the Ogoni people’s readiness to engage constructively in the pursuit of peace, justice, and sustainable development,” he said.
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.
Among the delegation at the State House included Governor Fubara, Senator Lee Maeba,
Senatos Magnus Abe, Olaka Nwogu, Bennett Birabi Barry. Mpigi, Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, Leedom Mitee, as well as and Joe Poroma, were present.
Also present were the FCT Minister, Wike, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, the Minister of Environment, Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abba, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed, Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Ribadu.
It will be recalled that the meeting came after a coalition of civil society organisations demanded an allocation of $1 trillion from the Federal Government for the cleanup of the Niger Delta and compensation for lost livelihoods, before the resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland
