The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government through the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is set to hold a secret meeting with prominent Ogoni leaders in Abuja to discuss the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland, SaharaReporters can authoritatively report.
SaharaReporters learnt from the invitation sent out by Ribadu’s Special Assistant to one of the Ogoniland stakeholders that the meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, 2025, will take place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with arrangements overseen by the Office of the National Security Adviser, Ribadu.
SaharaReporters learnt on Saturday that the government had made lavish preparations to host the Ogoni stakeholders.
The invitation added that the selected Ogoni leaders had been invited for a two-night stay at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, beginning from Monday, January 20, 2025.
“Travel arrangements, including flights from Port Harcourt to Abuja, have been organised, with logistical details expected to be shared soon,” the letter said.
“This is Nuhu’s invite to Ogoni leaders and the leaders are expected to declare the return of oil exploration in Ogoniland after the sweet deal meeting,” a top source revealed to SaharaReporters on Saturday.
The letter, by Ribadu’s SA, Goodluck Ebelo, reads, “I hope this message finds you well. On behalf of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, I am pleased to invite you, as an important Ogoni stakeholder, to a meeting with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
“Reservations have been made for you at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, for two nights, beginning from Monday. You will soon receive details regarding your flight from Port Harcourt on Monday, January 20, 2025, and other logistics. We look forward to your presence. Should you have any questions, kindly contact us.”
Meanwhile, the region, historically plagued by environmental degradation and community grievances due to oil operations, has remained a flashpoint for activism and government intervention.
However, activists and community leaders have previously called for comprehensive environmental cleanup and fair resource management before any resumption of oil exploration.
Ogoniland has been a contentious zone for oil exploration due to environmental damages caused by past operations.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2011 released a landmark report recommending an extensive cleanup of the area, but progress has been slow.
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