• Decommission old oil facilities over frequent spills, group urges govt
• Abe recommits to merit-based human capital devt in Ogoni

The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) has warned the Federal Government, stating that oil resumption in Ogoniland will not be tolerated without justice, equity, and full involvement of Ogoni youths and women.

This declaration was made at the National Congress of NYCOP, held on August 16, 2025, at the MOSOP Peace and Freedom Centre, Bori, to mark the 35th anniversary of the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR).

The group, in a communiqué jointly signed by the President of NYCOP, Barinuazor Emmanuel, and the Secretary General, Fred Mene Elijah, lamented that 35 years after the OBR was launched, Ogoni people still face environmental degradation and economic hardship despite their significant contributions to Nigeria’s oil wealth.

The youth leaders warned that oil production on Ogoni’s OML 11 asset must only resume after proper consultation with Ogoni communities and full equity participation by indigenes.

The group, however, demanded the inclusion of Ogoni youths and women in every negotiation process concerning oil resumption and environmental justice.

They stressed that excluding young people would repeat past mistakes of marginalisation.

NYCOP reiterated the need for more sustainable development projects in Ogoniland, acknowledging the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology and the ongoing Ogoni cleanup exercise.

Also, the Federal Government has been urged to decommission all ageing oil facilities, following frequent oil spills witnessed in Ogoni.

According to a group, known as the Mideekor Environmental Development Initiative, decommissioning old oil facilities is in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report after its assessment in Ogoniland, which is aimed at preventing further spills and disaster in the Niger Delta region; but, sadly, the government was yet to implement the directive.

Between January 2025 and the present date, over eight different oil spills have been recorded in already polluted Ogoniland, worsening its impacts on the people.

The call followed a fresh oil spill and fire outbreak at well 14, Yola, Kpean Community, in Ogoniland.

The spill was confirmed by a joint Investigation Visit (JIV) conducted by security agencies and other relevant authorities on August 13, 2025, which noted that the spill was caused by severe rust and corrosion of an abandoned wellhead, neglected since 1993.

According to the group’s team lead, Celestine Akpobari, the environmental catastrophe, which began last week, has spiralled into a full-blown crisis, with more escalating fires reported at the weekend, threatening lives, farmlands, and the fragile ecosystem of the community.

Meanwhile, the Governing Board Chairman of the National Agency For The Great Green Wall (NAGGW), Magnus Abe, has restated his commitment to promoting merit-based human capital development in ensuring the sustainable development of Ogoni land.

Abe stated this last week while receiving a delegation of the leadership of the Abuja branch of Ogoni Beyond Oil and Politics (OBOP), an advocacy group, who paid him a courtesy visit at his Abuja residence to express their appreciation for his remarkable contributions to human capital development in Ogoniland and beyond.