Rivers Group Challenges Ogoni On Oil Shutdown, 2027 Governorship

The Rivers Progressives’ Network has called for what it described as an “honest reflection” on the relationship between the Ogoni people, oil production and the wider economic interests of Rivers State, arguing that the decades-long suspension of crude oil production in Ogoniland must now be weighed against the economic burden borne by other oil-producing communities.

The group, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Friday and signed by Chief Dike Godknows and Hon. Raymond Opukiri, acknowledged the historical significance of the Ogoni struggle for environmental justice, but said the time had come to balance the demand for rights with responsibilities to the state and the country.

The statement comes amid renewed Federal Government efforts to facilitate a return to oil production in Ogoniland following more than three decades of suspended operations.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) had in September 2025 described the renewed Ogoni engagement as a “historic turning point” and said the process should be built around justice, equity, sustainability and collaboration with host communities.

According to the Rivers Progressives’ Network, the Ogoni people, spread across Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme local government areas, occupy an important place in the history of environmental activism in Nigeria, particularly through the activities of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and the late Ken Saro-Wiwa.

The group recalled the killing of the Ogoni Four in 1994 and the execution of Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists, popularly known as the Ogoni Nine, by the military government of the late General Sani Abacha in 1995.

It said the struggle subsequently attracted international attention and resulted in interventions including the United Nations Environment Programme environmental assessment, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), environmental remediation programmes and other federal and state development initiatives.

“These achievements are patent and merit full recognition,” the group stated.

However, it said the central question now should be what economic contribution Ogoniland is making to Rivers State after crude oil production in the area was halted in the early 1990s.

The network argued that production from 96 oil wells associated with OML 11 in Ogoniland had remained suspended since 1993, describing the development as a major economic issue for the state and the country.

It cited an estimate that the suspension had cost Nigeria about $226.734 billion in potential revenue over more than three decades.

That figure has also been publicly attributed to Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL). In April 2026, the company said the suspension of production from 96 wells in Ogoniland had resulted in estimated losses of $226.734 billion, while describing the resumption of production as a national priority.

The Rivers Progressives’ Network further contended that the economic burden of petroleum production has continued to be carried by communities across Rivers State and the wider Niger Delta, many of which, it said, have endured pollution, environmental degradation and other social costs while oil and gas activities continued in their territories.

It cited oil-producing areas including Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Degema, Andoni, Abua/Odual, Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor, Emohua, Oyigbo, Bonny, Opobo/Nkoro, Ogu-Bolo, Okrika, Etche and Omuma as examples of communities that remain connected to Nigeria’s petroleum economy.

The group also invoked the history of Umuechem, where residents protested against environmental degradation and alleged neglect in 1990, saying the community had yet to receive what it described as adequate justice for the losses suffered during the security crackdown that followed.

It said the comparison raised questions about whether communities that continue to host oil production and bear its environmental consequences were receiving commensurate recognition and development.

“Does halting petroleum production now attract greater national recognition than sustaining? Should every oil-producing community in the Niger Delta adopt the ‘Ogoni approach’ and shut down their oil wells?” the group asked.

The network also drew attention to the presence of prominent Ogoni professionals in strategic national institutions, including Senator Magnus Abe, who currently chairs the board of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Professor Innocent Barikor, Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

Abe was confirmed as NUPRC board chairman by the Senate in March and formally resumed with the board in April 2026.

Barikor, an indigene of Bomu in Gokana Local Government Area, is also currently listed by NESREA as its Director-General and Chief Executive Officer.

The group said it had no objection to the competence of the individuals appointed to such positions, but argued that their appointments had raised questions about perceived equity among oil-producing communities.

The statement took a more political turn when it addressed the emerging debate over the possibility of an Ogoni candidate becoming Governor of Rivers State in 2027.

The network acknowledged that every qualified citizen of Rivers State has a constitutional right to seek elective office, but argued that political leadership must be accompanied by a commitment to the economic wellbeing of the entire state.

It questioned whether the long suspension of oil production in Ogoniland should feature in the broader debate about who should govern a state whose public finances have historically been closely tied to petroleum revenues.

The group, however, stopped short of questioning the constitutional eligibility of Ogoni aspirants, instead presenting the issue as one of political responsibility and economic policy.

“Leadership also entails a moral duty to commit to the collective economic well-being of the State and its people,” it said.

It further posed a hypothetical question: if every oil-producing community in Rivers State stopped petroleum production indefinitely, what would happen to government revenue and the financing of infrastructure, education, healthcare and other public services?

The argument comes at a time when the Federal Government is actively pursuing a new phase of engagement in Ogoniland.

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has backed the Presidential Committee on Ogoni Re-entry, with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, playing a central role in consultations with stakeholders. NNPC Ltd. has said the renewed engagement is not solely about crude production, but also about rebuilding trust, environmental protection, community welfare and local participation.

In December 2025, NNPC Ltd. also announced that 30 Ogoni indigenes had received employment offers as part of confidence-building measures around the renewed engagement.

The Rivers Progressives’ Network therefore urged Ogoni stakeholders to support what it described as a new phase of reconciliation and responsible economic participation.

It argued that the Ogoni struggle had transformed Nigeria’s environmental consciousness and compelled governments and institutions to confront the consequences of oil pollution and ecological degradation.

But it maintained that the next phase should move beyond confrontation towards cooperation.
“Every notable struggle eventually reaches a climacteric where resistance must give way to reconciliation, confrontation must evolve into sustained cooperation, and demand for rights must match obligations,” the group said.

It called for cooperation with the Federal Government’s re-entry initiative, stressing that any resumption of oil production must be tied to environmental safeguards, community development and equitable participation.

The network said the history of the Ogoni struggle should not be erased, but argued that the future of Ogoniland should include economic participation alongside environmental justice.

“History has honoured the courage of Ogoniland; the future will honour their wisdom and willingness to contribute once again to the economic prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rivers State, and Ogoniland itself,” it said.

The statement ultimately framed the debate as one of balancing environmental rights with economic responsibilities, insisting that justice, development and resource production should not necessarily be mutually exclusive.

It urged Rivers State and the wider Niger Delta to engage in a broader conversation on how oil-producing communities can protect their environment, secure greater benefits from natural resources and simultaneously sustain the economic foundations of the state and country.