President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday conferred posthumous national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on the late Ogoni Four — Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage.
The recognition came during the presentation of the report of the Ogoni Consultations Committee, chaired by Prof. Don Baridam, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Tinubu described the award as a symbolic step toward healing and reconciliation, urging the Ogoni people to unite, close old wounds, and look to the future.
“This is a time to put the painful past behind us. Ogoni must speak with one voice so we can move forward as one nation,” the President said.
On oil production, Tinubu announced that his administration would work towards the resumption of operations in Ogoniland, nearly three decades after activities were halted over environmental and human rights concerns.
He directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately begin talks with Ogoni communities, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and other stakeholders to agree on modalities for restarting oil production.
The President also tasked the Minister of Environment to ensure that environmental cleanup and community development are integrated into the process.
Tinubu recalled that in 2022, operatorship of the Ogoni oil fields was transferred to the NNPCL and its joint venture partners, stressing that his government would honour that arrangement while ensuring local communities benefit directly.
The Ogoni Four were killed in 1994 during the height of tensions in the Niger Delta, a tragedy that remains one of the darkest chapters in Nigeria’s oil history. Their recognition is seen as part of broader efforts to reconcile with the Ogoni people and unlock the region’s economic potential.