An Ogoni leader and President of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Dr. Fabeke Douglas, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend ongoing negotiations on the resumption of oil exploration and production in Ogoni, Rivers State.
Douglas, in a letter addressed to the President, urged the Federal Government to adopt a more inclusive, transparent and rights-based approach to resolving the longstanding Ogoni crisis before any oil operations resume in the area.
He commended the Tinubu administration for what he described as efforts to address the Ogoni question, but expressed concern that the current dialogue process had failed to adequately address the historical grievances and unresolved issues surrounding the Ogoni struggle.
According to him, the Ogoni struggle dates back decades and is fundamentally rooted in the protection of the people’s land, water, livelihood and dignity.
Douglas recalled the Ogoni Bill of Rights, adopted in 1990 and submitted to the then military government of General Ibrahim Babangida, as a key document outlining the collective demands of the Ogoni people.
He also referenced the killing of four Ogoni leaders in May 1994 and the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists on November 10, 1995, describing the events as unresolved issues requiring justice.
He argued that the Federal Government should pursue exoneration rather than pardon for Saro-Wiwa and the other executed Ogoni activists, insisting that their deaths remain central to the community’s demand for justice.
The Ogoni leader further alleged that thousands of people were displaced during the period of military operations in Ogoni, while communities were destroyed and residents forced to flee their ancestral homes.
On the current situation, Douglas expressed concern over alleged ongoing oil operations in parts of Tai Local Government Area, particularly Oloko and Ledor, despite what he described as unresolved grievances among affected communities.
He also criticised the state of the Ogoni environmental clean-up programme, noting that about $1 billion had been committed to the exercise but that many communities still lacked access to clean drinking water and a safe environment.
To address the situation, Douglas urged the President to ensure full recognition and implementation of the Ogoni Bill of Rights, which he described as the foundation of the people’s collective demands.
He also called for the creation of Bori State, arguing that statehood would enable the Ogoni people to participate more directly in their development and environmental restoration.
Douglas further demanded the immediate suspension of the current negotiations on oil resumption, describing the ongoing discussions as inadequate because they focused on what he called peripheral interventions rather than the structural issues underlying the Ogoni crisis.
He specifically called for an immediate halt to oil-related operations in Oloko and Ledor pending the resolution of outstanding grievances.
He said Ogoni was prepared to cooperate with the Federal Government if it demonstrated genuine commitment to justice, restoration and development.
Douglas warned against what he described as a “divide and rule” approach, stressing that the people deserved justice, restoration and self-determination within the Nigerian federation.
He appealed to President Tinubu to give the matter urgent attention, saying a just resolution of the Ogoni crisis would bring lasting peace to the region and constitute a significant legacy of the administration.
