Ogoni Group Rejects Oil Resumption Plan, Demands Saro-Wiwa’s Exoneration

The Ogoni Voice Achievers Foundation (OVAF) has rejected the federal government’s plan to restart oil exploration in Ogoniland, demanding that no operation commences until a full environmental clean-up is completed and historical justice, including the exoneration of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni activists.

In a statement signed by the founder and Board of Trustees chairman of OVAF, Amb. Gospel Barifii Gokana, the group described the government’s approach as deeply flawed, unjust and unacceptable, warning that proceeding without addressing decades of neglect and pollution risks stirring deep resentment, social unrest, and renewed conflict.

The foundation’s intervention was in response to reports that the government had justified its plans for oil restart on the grounds of economic recovery and energy needs.

Gokana faulted that position, pointing to a lack of genuine consultation with the Ogoni people.

“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.

He also criticised what he described as an ‘absence’ of transparency, accusing the government of making decisions in Abuja offices without deep consideration of what Ogoni communities have suffered historically.

OVAF expressed alarm over the lack of public information on environmental impact assessments, benefit-sharing arrangements, and safety standards.