No Oil Drilling Without Saro-Wiwa’s Exoneration, Ogoni Group Declares

ABUJA – The Ogoni Voice Achievers Foundation (OVAF) has rejected the federal government’s plan to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland, insisting that no drilling should begin until a full environmental cleanup is completed and justice is secured, including the exoneration of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and other activists.

In a statement signed by OVAF’s Founder and Chairman, Hon. Ambassador Gospel Barifii Gokana, the group described the government’s approach as “deeply flawed, unjust, and unacceptable.” It warned that restarting oil operations without addressing decades of pollution and neglect could trigger resentment, unrest, and renewed conflict.

Ambassador Gokana faulted the government’s justification of oil restart on economic recovery grounds, noting that genuine consultations with the Ogoni people had not taken place. “Only a select few have been invited into closed-door negotiations. This selective engagement fails the test of free, prior, and informed consent, which is a right under international human rights norms,” he said.

The foundation also raised concerns over transparency, citing the absence of clear information on environmental impact assessments, benefit-sharing frameworks, and safety measures. It stressed that the federal government had failed to fully implement the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which revealed widespread oil pollution in Ogoniland.

OVAF outlined non-negotiable conditions, including halting new exploration until UNEP’s recommendations are fully executed, reparations are established, and an inclusive stakeholder process involving OVAF, MOSOP, youth, women, and traditional leaders is put in place. The group further called for binding legal instruments to guarantee equitable benefit-sharing and independent oversight of environmental safety.

In a symbolic appeal, OVAF demanded the exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogoni activists executed in 1995, describing it as essential to restoring dignity to the Ogoni people. Ambassador Gokana urged President Bola Tinubu and relevant agencies “to listen to the voices of the Ogoni people and respect our rights, lives, lands, and futures.”