President Bola Tinubu has posthumously conferred the national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage and Samuel Orage, collectively known as the ‘Ogoni Four’.
Tinubu made the announcement on Wednesday during a meeting with the Ogoni Consultations Committee at the State House in Abuja.
The four men were killed and burnt in 1994, and their deaths became the basis for the trial of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, known as the ‘Ogoni Nine’, who were found guilty by the military regime of Sani Abacha and executed the following year.
“May their memories continue to inspire unity, courage and purpose among us,” Tinubu said.
The president used the occasion to call for reconciliation and unity among the Ogoni after decades of social and political division.
He urged the Ogoni people “to close ranks, put this dark chapter behind us and move forward as a united community with one voice”.
Assuring the Ogoni communities of his administration’s commitment to the region’s wellbeing, Tinubu spoke about efforts toward peace, environmental remediation and economic revival.
He also expressed optimism toward the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland.
“I am encouraged by the overwhelming consensus of the Ogoni communities to welcome the resumption of oil production,” he said.
“The government will deploy every resource to support your people in this march towards shared prosperity.”
Noting the transition of Ogoni oil fields to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its joint venture partners in 2022, Tinubu promised to build on that development.
“I have directed the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately commence engagement between the Ogoni people, NNPCL, its partners, and all relevant stakeholders to finalise modalities for restarting operations,” the president said.
“A dead asset is not valuable to the community, the country or the people. The longer we procrastinate, the worse it is for everyone.”
In addition, Tinubu instructed the minister of environment to integrate pollution remediation and environmental recovery as key components of ongoing dialogue with the Ogoni people.
“Let us together turn pain into purpose, conflict into cooperation, and transform the wealth beneath Ogoni soil into a blessing for the people and for Nigeria,” he added.
Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser, presented the report of the committee, confirming stakeholder engagement across all four Ogoni zones, including local communities, traditional rulers and the diaspora.
Ribadu said the consultation was a transformational process meant to restore hope and trust in Ogoniland after years of neglect and conflict.
He affirmed that an inter-agency taskforce, including NNPCL, relevant ministries and the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, would drive implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Don Baridam, chairman of the dialogue committee, said the report reflects “the collective will of the Ogoni people”, and includes demands for structured participation in oil production, environmental cleanup and sustainable development frameworks.
The honour for the Ogoni Four comes three months after Tinubu, on Democracy Day, conferred national awards and granted a state pardon to Saro-Wiwa and the other members of the Ogoni Nine, nearly three decades after their execution under Abacha’s military regime.
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