By Ajibola Olarinoye
President Bola Tinubu’s looking to kickstart oil production again in Ogoniland—that’s the same Ogoniland in Rivers State that’s been through absolute hell over the years.
He rolled this out on Wednesday, during a pretty heavy ceremony where he gave major posthumous props to the “Ogoni four”—Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage. All of them got the Commander of the Order of the Niger award, which, honestly, about time.
While he was handing out the honors at the over-the-top Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu basically told the Ogoni people, “Hey, let’s bury the beef already and get back together,” after what feels like an eternity of drama and fighting.”
He promised that he (and his crew) would stick around for the long haul—talking peace, fixing the environment, and actually trying to boost the local economy for once.
And, apparently, the Ogoni communities are mostly on board? Tinubu said, “I’m glad you guys are ready for this oil comeback thing.” Or something to that effect. Maybe not his exact words, but you get the idea.
He also said the government’s gonna throw in everything they’ve got to help the area bounce back and, you know, make some money again.
Tinubu then told the National Security Adviser—Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for those keeping score—to start talking with literally everyone: Ogoni communities, NNPCL, and other “stakeholders” (whatever that really means) to hammer out the details and get the oil flowing again.
Before all that, Ribadu—NSA guy—said they’d already checked in with folks all across Ogoniland and even reached out to the diaspora. People want more say in oil production, faster cleanup (duh), and some real development that doesn’t just mean more promises. Let’s see if this actually goes somewhere or if it’s just another round of political theater.
