On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, President Bola Tinubu conferred posthumous Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) honors on the late Ogoni leaders Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage during the receipt of the Ogoni Consultations Committee report at the Presidential Villa, as reported by Vanguard and The Punch (Web:0, Web:1). Tinubu urged Ogoniland’s communities to embrace reconciliation, stating, “May their memories inspire unity, courage, and purpose,” and pledged support for peace, environmental remediation, and economic revival (Web:0). He confirmed plans to resume oil production, halted since 1993 protests against environmental degradation, which led to the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others (Web:0, Web:2).
Tinubu directed National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to engage Ogoni communities, NNPCL, and stakeholders to finalize modalities for restarting oil operations, with the Minister of Environment tasked to integrate pollution cleanup (Web:0, Web:3). The NSA’s report highlighted consultations across Ogoni’s four zones and diaspora, capturing demands for structured participation, cleanup, and sustainable development (Web:0). Committee chair Prof. Don Baridam emphasized the report as a blueprint for an inter-agency taskforce (Web:0). Ribadu assured implementation for peace and inclusive growth across the Niger Delta (Web:1). X posts from @NGRPresident (September 24, 2025) highlighted the honors, while @Naija_Activist noted 72% Ogoni support for resumption but 65% concern over cleanup delays (Afrobarometer, 2025) (Post:3). The move aims to address Ogoniland’s 30-year economic stagnation (Web:2).
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