President Bola Tinubu has taken significant steps to address the historical injustices and protracted acrimony stemming from the Ogoni crisis of the 1990s, notably by conferring posthumous national honours and initiating dialogue for the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland. On Wednesday, President Tinubu posthumously honoured four Ogoni chiefs with the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON): Edward Kobani, Albert Bade, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage. These individuals were tragically killed during the crisis, for which the then-military regime of Sani Abacha accused Nigerian writer and environmental rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni chiefs of responsibility. Saro-Wiwa and his co-accused, who denied the allegations, were subsequently hanged in 1995 after a military tribunal, an action that drew widespread global condemnation against the Nigerian government.

The conferment of honours on the Ogoni Four followed the presentation of the report by the Presidential Committee on the Ogoni Consultations, chaired by Professor Don Baridam, at the State House in Abuja. This event was attended by an Ogoni delegation led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. This latest gesture complements President Tinubu's earlier conferment of national honours on the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others in June, during Nigeria's Democracy Day celebration. The dual honours are clearly intended to foster reconciliation and heal the deep-seated divisions between the families of the Ogoni Nine and the Ogoni Four, marking a commitment to writing a new chapter of unity.

A critical outcome of the consultations is President Tinubu’s directive to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately engage the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Ogoni people, and other relevant stakeholders. The objective is to finalize modalities for the responsible resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, which has been suspended since 1993 due to widespread protests against environmental degradation. President Tinubu emphasized that 'dead assets are not valuable to the community, the country and the people,' underscoring the urgency of restarting operations under fair and equitable terms.

The President affirmed the government's recognition of the 'years of pain endured in Ogoniland,' acknowledging the long suffering of the Ogoni people and declaring that 'hope is here and is back with us.' He directed the Minister of Environment and the NSA to integrate environmental remediation and community programmes into a broader dialogue and implementation process. This includes ensuring efficient functionality of environmental remediation efforts as an instrument for renewed oil production, along with deploying necessary resources to support the Ogoni people in their march towards shared prosperity. The President urged Ogoni leaders and communities to 'close ranks, put this dark chapter behind us, and move forward as a united community,' stressing that reconciliation is not an erasure of history but a commitment to future collaboration.

Stakeholders have largely welcomed these developments. Governor Siminalayi Fubara noted that the President's confidence-building measures, such as improvements on the East-West Road and the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology, have already yielded positive results. NSA Ribadu described the process as transformational, aimed at restoring hope and rebuilding trust, confirming that initial steps led to stakeholders setting aside differences for a collective report. He highlighted that the report reflects a collective readiness for the responsible resumption of oil production, anchored on fairness, equity, environmental responsibility, and direct community benefits, alongside a call to reposition the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).

Professor Don Baridam, Chairman of the Presidential Committee, lauded President Tinubu's commitment and the NSA's diplomatic efforts, which he said earned community trust and restored hope. Prominent activist and former Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) President, Ledum Mitee, described the meeting as signaling a 'new dawn' for Ogoni, expressing hope for practical actions. Kenneth Kobani, son of the late Edward Kobani, one of the Ogoni Four, thanked the President for recognizing the sacrifices, stating that Nigeria is 'on the right path.' The consensus among Ogoni communities to welcome oil production resumption under an equitable tax system reinforces the path towards sustainable development and healing for the region.