Ogoni Solidarity Forum Rejects FG’s Plan To Resume Oil Exploration In Ogoniland, Demands Exoneration Of Ken Saro-Wiwa And Compensation

The Ogoni Solidarity Forum South Africa (OSF SA), a pan-Ogoni organisation, has loudly and unambiguously opposed the Federal Government of Nigeria’s covert plot to recommence oil drilling in Ogoni. According to the Ogoni Solidarity Forum South Africa (OSF SA), this move is being pursued behind closed doors and is a flagrant disregard for the Ogoni people’s rights and dignity, who have suffered decades of environmental degradation, economic exploitation, and human rights violations at the hands of oil corporations and the Nigerian government.

In a statement jointly signed on February 9, 2025, by Comrade Barigbome Promise Gibson, Comrade Akina Keenam, Comrade Kiisi Womene, Comrade Promise Nwinuaka Kumeh, Comrade Augustine Tebere, Comrade Dis Dagbara Saro, and Comrade Leelee Kpuginaata, the Ogoni Solidarity Forum South Africa described the government’s move as a “brazen affront” to the rights and dignity of the Ogoni people.

The group demanded that the government takes responsibility for past injustices and ensures that the rights and dignity of the Ogoni people are respected.

The Ogoni Solidarity Forum South Africa also demanded immediate exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 8, who were extrajudicially executed by the Nigerian government on November 10, 1995.

The group also called for reparations and compensation for the Ogoni people, addressing the historical injustices and ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the Nigerian government and multinational corporations.

“We will not stand idly by while our people’s rights are trampled upon.

The Nigerian government must take responsibility for its past atrocities and ensure that justice is served,” said Comrade Barigbome Promise Gibson. “The Ogoni people demand nothing but the truth, justice, and reparations for the harm inflicted upon them.”

“The resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland without addressing the historical injustices and ongoing human rights violations is a recipe for disaster. We urge the international community to stand with us in demanding justice and accountability from the Nigerian government,” added Comrade Akina Keenam.

The Ogoni Solidarity Forum South Africa urged all progressive forces, social justice activists, and human rights defenders to join them in demanding justice, accountability, and reparations for the Ogoni people.

Also Pastor Barry Wugale, the International Coordinator/Founder of the Ogoni Solidarity Forum in South Africa, expressed his disappointment and frustration with the recent events in Ogoniland. He believes that the situation is a deliberate attempt to cause crisis and prevent the Ogoni people from asking relevant questions.

Wugale criticized the actions of those involved, stating that they aimed to undermine the sensibility of the Ogoni people. He cautioned the president to be mindful of the characters involved in the negotiations and urged him to engage with all relevant stakeholders.

Wugale emphasized that the signing of the University of Environment into law is insufficient for the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland. He pointed out that other states without oil resources have multiple universities.

Moreover, Wugale noted that this is not the first time universities have been signed into law in Nigeria, only to be left without funds for their actual takeoff and operations. Wugale stressed that the president must back his words with actions by releasing funds for the university’s construction and ensuring that the alleged $300 million collected by certain individuals is returned to the Ogoni people for compensation, as intended by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Also Barry, the admonished the Ogoni people to remain peaceful, civil, and law-abiding in their pursuit of justice. He also urged them to eschew violence, lawlessness, and taking the law into their own hands. “As we continue to demand justice and accountability from the Nigerian government, we must do so in a peaceful and lawful manner,” Pastor Barry emphasized. “The Ogoni struggle, as exemplified by our late hero Ken Saro-Wiwa, is founded on peaceful and intellectual grounds and agitations, rather than violence.

Recall that Ogoni protesters disrupted an oil dialogue meeting, demanding exoneration of Ogoni 9 and a probe into alleged missing $300 million compensation.

A meeting convened to facilitate dialogue on the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland was abruptly disrupted yesterday as hundreds of protesters stormed the venue. The protesters, comprising Ogoni community members, demanded the exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders who were unjustly executed in 1995.

They also called for a probe into the alleged missing $300 million compensation paid by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to Ogoni. The protesters’ demands are rooted in the long-standing struggles of the Ogoni people, who have faced decades of environmental degradation, economic exploitation, and human rights abuses at the hands of oil corporations and the Nigerian government.