The youth wing of the Ogoni ethnic nationality has issued a strong demand for direct participation in the nation's oil wealth, calling for the immediate concession of an oil block to the Ogoni people. This move aims to foster dialogue with the federal government and address a crisis spanning decades in the oil-rich but impoverished region.
Core Demands: Exclusion, Unbundling, and Local Control
In a resolution presented by Theophilus Mbagha and shared with The Guardian in Abuja, the National Youth Council of the Ogoni People (NYCOP) called for decisive action. They urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to exclude all Ogoni oil blocks from the ongoing oil license bidding round.
This exclusion, they stated, must remain in place while dialogue continues with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). The youths laid out a technical framework for resource control, demanding the unbundling of the massive OML 11. They propose separating the Ogoni territory from the rest of the oil mining lease and then dividing the Ogoni area into six or at least four distinct oil blocks.
This division, they argue, must comply with Section 77(35A) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which stipulates a maximum size of 350 square kilometres for land or shallow-water acreage. Crucially, NYCOP insists that any concession for Ogoni participation must involve an Ogoni-centric consortium or Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). This entity would partner with whichever company is granted the operatorship lease within Ogoni territory.
Condemnation of Clandestine Operations and Call for Inclusivity
The group strongly condemned reported secret oil and gas activities in the Tumbee and Ledor areas of Tai Local Government Area. They called on the government to halt all oil operations in Ogoni land while the crucial dialogue with the NSA's office is ongoing.
While appreciating the goodwill shown by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the youths advised the Presidency to be vigilant against individuals pursuing selfish interests. They stressed that inclusivity must be a cardinal principle in the dialogue process. This stance echoes a firm position taken in August 2024, when NYCOP declared that oil production would not resume in Ogoniland without guarantees of justice, equity, and full participation for local youths and women.
This declaration was part of a communiqué issued at the National Congress of NYCOP, held in Bori, the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni people. The congress also marked the 35th anniversary of the Ogoni Bill of Rights. The document was jointly signed by NYCOP President Barinuazor Emmanuel and Secretary-General Fred Mene Elijah.
Broader Context: Security, Politics, and a 35-Year Struggle
The youths' demands follow an announcement by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu at an All Progressives Congress summit. Ribadu revealed the Federal Government's plan to resume oil production in Ogoniland after a suspension lasting nearly three decades.
In their communiqué, NYCOP lamented that 35 years after the Ogoni Bill of Rights, the people still suffer environmental degradation, political exclusion, and economic marginalisation, despite the region's immense contribution to Nigeria's oil wealth. They warned that sidelining the youth, who are the custodians of Ogoni's future, would repeat the painful patterns of the past.
The group also raised pressing security concerns, calling on President Tinubu to curb the activities of armed herdsmen in Ogoni communities. They cited killings, abductions, crop destruction, and the desecration of sacred sites. On the political front, NYCOP demanded that an Ogoni indigene be considered for the governorship of Rivers State in the next political cycle, arguing that no Ogoni son or daughter has ever occupied the Brick House despite their significant contributions.
They further criticised recent board appointments by the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd), alleging a deliberate exclusion of Ogoni people from leadership positions.
