• Tinubu won’t allow oil production in Ogoni to avoid crises, MOSOP assures
The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has called for a collaborative approach to address the socio-economic root causes of conflict in the region.

According to PIND’s policy brief and analysis of Peace Map data, over 800 fatalities have been recorded in the Niger Delta between January 2014 and December 2024 due to communal conflicts.

The organisation recently convened a multi-stakeholder roundtable in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to address the growing concern of communal conflicts on agricultural investments in the region.

These conflicts, often rooted in land ownership, access, and usage disputes, have resulted in loss of life and property, disruptions to livelihoods, food security, and investor confidence.

The roundtable brought together representatives from government agencies, the private sector, farmer and herder groups, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, peacebuilding actors, and development partners to examine the impact of communal conflicts on agricultural investment and productivity.

During the discussion, which highlighted the significance of land in the Niger Delta, holding deep economic, cultural, and political value, and how disputes over land ownership and access can become flashpoints for violence, participants noted that communal conflicts create instability and uncertainty, discouraging agricultural investors and stalling economic development.

Some of the participants pointed out that weak land governance, population growth, climate change, youth unemployment, urban encroachment, insecurity, and inadequate dispute resolution mechanisms were identified as key drivers of these conflicts.

However, in a communiqué issued at the end of a roundtable discussion, the organisation called for peacebuilding efforts to focus on resolving land-related disputes, which are a major driver of conflict in the region.

MEANWHILE, the President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Fegalo Nsuke, has assured the people that despite efforts by private interests to forcefully resume oil production in Ogoniland, they don’t expect President Bola Tinubu to trigger oil-related crises in Ogoni to satisfy a few individuals.

Nsuke, who spoke at the MOSOP secretariat in Bori, where he met some critical stakeholders, including kingdom coordinators of the movement, expressed hope that as the nation prepares for the 2027 elections, the Federal Government will not risk a crisis in Ogoni or any other parts of the Niger Delta region.

“The recent move to force a restart of oil production in Ogoni is one of the most deceptive and fraudulent attempts by the oil industry in collaboration with some individuals to trample on their rights, ignore legitimate concerns and demands for justice and expect that we will submit to intimidation.”