President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently meeting with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and leaders from Ogoniland at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Governor Fubara arrived alongside Senator Lee Maeba, joined by a delegation that includes Senators Magnus Abe, Olaka Nwogu, Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, Leedom Mitee, and Senators Bennett Birabi, Barry Mpigi, and Joe Poroma.
Also in attendance are the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, as well as key government officials such as Minister of Environment Balarabe Abba, Minister of Information and National Orientation Idris Mohammed, Minister of Regional Development Abubakar Momoh, and National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
While the agenda of the meeting has not been disclosed, it is believed to centre on the Ogoni cleanup initiative and the potential resumption of oil exploration activities in the area.
This follows recent demands from a coalition of civil society organisations calling for a $1 trillion allocation from the Federal Government to clean up the Niger Delta and compensate residents for livelihood losses before crude oil production resumes in Ogoniland.
The coalition, which includes Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), expressed concerns about the government’s reported plans to restart oil production in the community, calling the move a disregard for environmental justice.
The groups highlighted the severe environmental damage caused by decades of oil exploration in Ogoniland, as documented in the 2011 UNEP report. The report detailed extensive pollution of land, water, and air.
They criticised the government for failing to fully implement the UNEP recommendations or prioritise the cleanup, describing this inaction as a failure to address the historical and ongoing environmental degradation in the region.
Details shortly…
