President Tinubu Meets Rivers State Governor, Ogoni Leaders to Address Environmental Issues
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently holding a strategic meeting with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and prominent leaders of Ogoniland at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The gathering is expected to discuss pressing concerns, including the clean-up of Ogoniland and the potential resumption of oil exploration activities in the region.
Governor Fubara arrived at the villa alongside a delegation that included Senator Lee Maeba, Senator Magnus Abe, Senator Olaka Nwogu, Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, and Leedom Mitee.
Also in attendance were Senators Bennett Birabi Barry, Mpigi, and Joe Poroma, underscoring the significance of the discussions.
Top government officials and industry stakeholders were also present at the meeting, including the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari; 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.
Although the agenda was not publicly disclosed, sources suggest that the talks may revolve around the long-overdue implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report recommendations and the resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland.
This meeting follows recent demands by a coalition of civil society organisations for the Federal Government to allocate $1 trillion towards the clean-up of the Niger Delta and compensate residents for their loss of livelihoods before any oil exploration resumes in Ogoniland.
In a statement signed by Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), the groups condemned the government’s reported plans to restart oil production in the area without addressing the environmental and social injustices suffered by the Ogoni people.
The coalition highlighted the findings of the 2011 UNEP report, which exposed severe environmental degradation in Ogoniland caused by decades of unchecked oil activities.
It criticised the government for failing to fully implement the report’s recommendations or prioritise the clean-up of polluted land, water, and air in the region.
Source: Vanguard
