The Leaders and people of Ogoniland have petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to rein in the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, over alleged attempts to sabotage the ongoing dialogue aimed at resolving the decades-long Ogoni crisis.
According to a statement dated January 25, 2026, and duly signed by Chief Gani Topba, Leader and Spokesman of the Conscience of Ogoni People (COOP), the organisation stated that: “This petition was made under the auspices of the Conscience of Ogoni People (COOP, formerly known as Ken Saro Wiwa Associates), a collective of concerned Ogoni sons and daughters committed to peace, justice, and long-term stability in Ogoniland and the Nigerian state.
The group expressed strong support for the ongoing Federal Government-Ogoni dialogue and peace process currently being facilitated by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Leader and Spokesman, Chief Gani Topba, COOP accused Wike of engaging in calculated moves to frustrate this dialogue process, an action the group traced back to his tenure as Governor of Rivers State.
According to the statement, the roots of the alleged sabotage lie in a long-standing compensation dispute involving the Ejama Ebubu community in Ogoni and the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), arising from environmental devastation claims successfully litigated and won by the community.
COOP noted that during Wike’s tenure as governor, the Rivers State Government became deeply involved in the matter, which has remained controversial and unresolved in the court of public opinion.
The group further cited alarming developments during Ribadu’s recent visit to Ogoniland, during which the political associates of Wike were allegedly directed to boycott and undermine the visit. COOP claimed that deliberate efforts were made to sabotage the dialogue process at the community level.
“More troubling are reports of the recruitment of armed thugs from across Rivers State, who are said to be currently camped within the precincts of the Rivers State House of Assembly quarters,” the statement alleged.
COOP further disclosed that the FCT Minister is unhappy with the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalaiyi Fubara, for cooperating with the NSA to ensure the success of the Ogoni dialogue and peace process.
“Our information is that after the NSA left Rivers State, the Minister directed the Chairmen of the Local Government Areas (LGAS) in Ogoniland (namely: Eleme, Tai, Gokana and Khana) to recruit armed youths who would be used to cause security breaches and frustrate the completion of the ongoing dialogue and eventual resumption of oil operations in Ogoniland,” the statement reads.
“From available reports, key individuals opposed to the Minister’s directive to scuttle the oil resumption effort of the Federal Government may be allegedly earmarked for elimination in each of the Ogoni LGAs,” the statement added.
To this end, the group warned that if left unchecked, these actions allegedly engineered by Wike pose a serious threat to public peace and security in Rivers State, risk igniting widespread violence, and could completely derail the fragile but promising Ogoni dialogue process.
They noted that current dialogue process is worth salvaging because it “has been widely welcomed by the generality of Ogoni people as the most sincere, inclusive, and structured effort ever, which seeks to achieve: lasting peace in Ogoni, environmental remediation and restoration, economic reintegration of Ogoni into the national and gas economy, and the safe and legitimate resumption of oil production in OML II, which would significantly boost national revenue, foreign exchange earnings, energy security, and employment”.
Against this backdrop, COOP appealed to President Tinubu to call on the FCT Minister to desist from further fomenting trouble in Ogoniland, stressing that “Ogoni people are tired of conflict, manipulation, and being used as pawns in political and economic struggles”. For the first time in many years, the group noted, there is genuine hope that justice, peace, and development may finally come to our land.
The group further urged the President to protect and sustain the ongoing dialogue process and to mandate relevant security and intelligence agencies to investigate the allegations and prevent any actions capable of destabilising Rivers State.
“We also appeal to the President to ensure that no individual, regardless of status, is allowed to undermine national interest for personal or sectional gain, and to continue to support a transparent, inclusive, and lawful pathway to the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, for the benefit of all Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
COOP expressed confidence that President Tinubu’s intervention at this critical moment would not only safeguard peace in Ogoniland but also reaffirm the authority of the Nigerian state and the President’s commitment to justice, national unity, and economic recovery.
FULL STATEMENT
PRESS STATEMENT
Ogoni Stakeholders Petition President Tinubu over Alleged Attempts to Undermine Ogoni Peace Dialogue
Date: 25 January 2026
The Conscience of Ogoni People (COOP), formerly known as Ken Saro-Wiwa Associates, a collective of concerned Ogoni sons and daughters committed to peace, justice, and the long-term stability of Ogoniland and the Nigerian state, hereby draws the urgent attention of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to alleged attempts by the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, to undermine the ongoing Federal Government–Ogoni dialogue process.
COOP is firmly committed to resolving the decades-long stalemate between the Ogoni people and the Federal Government of Nigeria over deep-rooted social, economic, and environmental injustices. These unresolved grievances have generated sustained international concern and culminated in the shutdown of oil and gas operations in Ogoniland for over 32 years, following the declaration of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) as persona non grata in 1993. The current dialogue process is therefore of historic importance and must not be undermined in any form, as it is central to the achievement of Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
We want to respectfully remind His Excellency and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that the Ogoni question has remained unresolved for over three decades, resulting in prolonged loss of oil revenues to the Federation; deep-seated environmental degradation; youth restiveness and insecurity; and a breakdown of trust between host communities, the Nigerian State, and international oil companies.
The current dialogue process, commendably facilitated by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has been widely welcomed by the generality of Ogoni people as the most sincere, inclusive, and structured effort ever, which seeks to achieve: lasting peace in Ogoni, environmental remediation and restoration, economic reintegration of Ogoni into the national and gas economy, and the safe and legitimate resumption of oil production in OML II, which would significantly boost national revenue, foreign exchange earnings, energy security, and employment.
It is, however, with a heavy heart and a deep sense of responsibility as stakeholders in the Ogoni project that we, on behalf of the generality of the Ogoni people, bring to Your Excellency’s attention subterranean moves to scuttle the ongoing Federal Government-Ogoni dialogue. Our petition is prompted by grave concerns over reported attempts by the FCT Minister to undermine and sabotage the continuing dialogue process aimed at resolving the decades-long Ogoni crisis and facilitating the eventual resumption of oil production in Ogoni – an outcome from which Ogoni people, Rivers State, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria stand to gain enormously.
We are deeply disturbed by reports of actions allegedly taken by Mr Nyesom Wike, which appear calculated to frustrate this dialogue process. The background to this matter dates back to his tenure as Governor of Rivers State, during which the Rivers State Government became involved in a long-standing compensation dispute between the Ejama Ebubu community in Ogoni and the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), arising from environmental devastation claims litigated against SPDC and won by the Ejama Ebubu community.
According to widely reported media accounts, delays in SPDC’s payment of compensation allegedly provided the basis for a series of questionable legal and administrative steps through which the Rivers State Government purportedly acquired a 45% interest in OML II (the Ogoni oil block). The Ogoni people resisted this position of the Rivers State Government, and the matter remains controversial and unresolved in the court of public opinion, as shown in the many media reports attached to our petition on January 22, 2026.
The reports further indicated that SPDC’s facilities at Kidney Island were picketed, allegedly by hired thugs, which led to intense pressure on SPDC and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). This process reportedly culminated in the payment of approximately US$ 300 million, the utilisation and accounting of which continue to generate public concern and unanswered questions.
Despite these developments, it is widely perceived in Ogoni that the Honourable Minister continues to assert personal entitlements or proprietary interests in OML II and now views the ongoing dialogue process, particularly the role of the NSA, as an obstacle to those interests.
More alarming are developments that emerged during the recent visit of the NSA Nuhu Ribadu to Ogoniland, with the political associates of the FCT Minister allegedly being directed to boycott and undermine the visit. Efforts were reportedly made to sabotage the dialogue process at the community level, and there are also disturbing allegations of the recruitment of armed thugs from across the State, who are said to be currently camped within the precincts of the Rivers State House of Assembly Quarters.
If unchecked, these actions pose a serious threat to public peace and security in Rivers State and risk igniting widespread violence. They could completely derail the fragile but promising Ogoni dialogue process.
Further findings also revealed that the Honourable Minister is unhappy with the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir Siminalaiyi Fubara, GSSRS, for cooperating with the NSA to ensure the success of the Ogoni dialogue and peace process. Our information is that after the NSA left Rivers State, the Honourable Minister directed the Chairmen of the Local Government Areas (LGAS) in Ogoniland (namely: Eleme, Tai, Gokana and Khana) to recruit armed youths who would be used to cause security breaches and frustrate the completion of the ongoing dialogue and eventual resumption of oil operations in Ogoniland.
According to available reports, key individuals opposed to the Honourable Minister’s directive to scuttle the Federal Government’s oil resumption effort may be allegedly earmarked for elimination in each of the Ogoni LGAs.
To this end, we humbly appeal to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed, to warn the FCT Minister to desist from further fermenting trouble in Ogoniland. Ogoni people are tired of conflict, manipulation, and being used as pawns in political and economic struggles. For the first time in many years, there is genuine hope that justice, peace, and development may finally come to our land.
We therefore respectfully call on the President to protect and sustain the ongoing Ogoni dialogue process, and also mandate relevant security and intelligence agencies to investigate these reports and prevent any actions capable of destabilising Rivers State. We also appeal to the President to ensure that no individual, regardless of status, is allowed to undermine national interest for personal or sectional gain, and continue to support a transparent, inclusive, and lawful pathway to the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, for the benefit of all Nigerians.
COOP believes that the President’s intervention at this critical moment will not only safeguard peace in Ogoniland but will reaffirm the authority of the Nigerian State and your commitment to justice, national unity, and economic recovery.