L-R: Fubara, Tinubu, Wike and others
President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, held a closed-door meeting with a delegation of Ogoni leaders led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Also present at the meeting was the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and other ministers and aides.
The meeting came after a coalition of civil society organisations demanded an allocation of $1 trillion from the Federal Government for the cleanup of the Niger Delta and compensation for lost livelihoods, before the resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland.
The meeting came amid the protracted feud between Fubara and Wike who were once political allies. Wike was the immediate-past governor of the oil-rich South-South state.
After the meeting, Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate negotiations with various parties within Ogoniland in the oil-rich Niger Delta area to resume oil production in the area.
The President said his administration would prioritise peace, justice, and sustainable development in the area.
Tinubu called for unity and reconciliation, urging the Ogoni people to set aside historical grievances and work together to achieve peace, development, and a clean environment.
“We cannot in any way rewrite history, but we can correct some anomalies of the past going forward. We cannot heal the wounds if we continue to be angry,” Tinubu said, according to a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
“We must work together with mutual trust. Go back home, do more consultations, and embrace others. We must make this trip worthwhile by bringing peace, development, and a clean environment back to Ogoniland,” the President said.
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