Tinubu Honours Ogoni Four, Orders Immediate Oil Production Talks

President Bola Tinubu has conferred the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) posthumously on four late Ogoni leaders, Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage, collectively known as the Ogoni Four.

The announcement was made on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja, where the President received the report of the Ogoni Consultations Committee chaired by Professor Don Baridam. The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, led the Ogoni delegation to the ceremony.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said the honour recognises the sacrifices of the Ogoni leaders and the struggles of their people for justice and environmental protection.

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The President also directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately commence engagement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Ogoni stakeholders, and other relevant parties to finalise arrangements for the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland.

Moving On

“We are not, as a government, taking lightly the years of pain endured in Ogoniland. Today we declare that hope is back with us,” Tinubu said, urging the Ogoni to put past divisions behind them and embrace unity.

Tinubu further directed the Minister of Environment and the NSA to integrate environmental and developmental programmes into the wider consultation process, assuring stakeholders that government will deploy the resources needed to address their concerns and achieve shared prosperity.

Governor Fubara commended the President’s confidence-building efforts, citing progress on the East-West Road and the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology as examples of positive outcomes.

Ribadu confirmed that the consultative process had defused tensions and built consensus among stakeholders.

He noted that the report represents a collective commitment to resume oil production under a framework of fairness, equity, and environmental responsibility.

This is the second major reconciliation step taken by the Tinubu administration after conferring national honours in June on Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists executed during the Abacha regime.

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