Nuhu Ribadu as Negotiator in Ogoni Fields

Engr Sunny Hemebrim Amadi

The long-awaited resolution to the Ogoni oil crisis may finally be in sight with the appointment of Nuhu Ribadu as Chief Negotiator. A seasoned security expert and anti-corruption crusader, Ribadu brings a wealth of experience and a reputation for integrity to the table. As the Ogoni people continue to grapple with the legacy of environmental degradation and social injustice, Ribadu’s involvement has raised hopes for a fair and sustainable resolution

Ribadu, known for his unwavering commitment to nation-building and security is best fitted for the job.  His unidirectional mindset and willingness to take risks have earned him a reputation as a fearless and uncompromising leader.

A taciturn, he once demonstrated this when in broad daylight, he single-handedly chased a gang in a Mazda car that was firing live bullets at him through Abuja streets; he drove and kept firing back at them till out of over-speed, and they lost control and crashed into a barrier and he arrested them. Asked then why he would take such a risk, he replied, “What is my life worth if I cannot secure those of others” That day, he put six bad guys out of Abuja streets.

Rewind to his days in the police where he was involved in all major investigations within and outside the country when he was exposed to experiences and honed his resistance to offers to stunt or stall investigations. Nuhu Ribadu has come a long way and earned the trust of his superiors and subordinates. He was later to spearhead the prosecution in Miscellaneous Offences Tribunals of fraudsters of global fame nationwide. His name use to send chills down the spines of those dark men who he fearlessly put behind bars.

Being always headhunted when the need for delivery in murky terrains are needed, his trajectory later saw him astride the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when then President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to cleanse the Aegean stable of corruption in the country, there was no other head the cap could fit other than Ribadu since he had long garnered the reputation of an uncompromising cop. The rest they say is history because then, the fear of EFCC became the beginning of wisdom. He was so passionate about anti-corruption that he put his former boss, the late Tafa Balogun in handcuffs to demonstrate disdain for corruption.

Given his antecedents, it was no surprise therefore when in following with global best practices in appointing a National Security Adviser, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu picked Ribadu for the office. Those who knew him had assured that he will soon bring his capacity and capital to that office vested with the coordination of security in the country. When he started handling issues that wore the toga of being unconnected with security like working to avert labour strikes, people opined that he should concentrate on real security issues without knowing that if not well handled, could cause an implosion which Ribadu saw ahead of time. Like his signature style, he succeeded in arresting the situation and peace reigned in the country once more.

Soon after his appointment as NSA, he as usual went silent and when prodded to assure Nigerians of their security, he smiled and assured them that the results they expected would be manifest in a short while, and true to his words, it did. It then became apparent that his delving into other issues was more of a strategy than busy bodying. Some security experts have opined that Ribadu beat the evil men to their game where bandits and terrorists being prominent on social media would be monitoring his activities there so he took them on a bungee ride by addressing other issues publicly while keeping mum on security issues. That way, they thought he was not making the right moves for them while he honed his strategies. When he came out to speak, insecurity had nosedived, a testament that he was holding them by the jugular. Presently, almost all the bandit leaders have been sent on a judgment journey with their makers while the remaining ones are on the run and living in mortal fear of what the Ribadu coordination against them holds.

Seeing that he made a success of whatever he touches, it was no surprise that at the meeting on Monday of Ogoni Leaders with the President, he was named the Negotiator for the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoni land. As is his signature approach, many thought that he was just drafted into the effort to resume the biggest upland oil extraction in the country for which the people had suffered irreparable and most oppressive highhandedness with losses on human and material levels. They therefore needed a reliable name they could trust and relate to which manifested in the caliber of  leaders that attended the meeting.

Led by Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara and a representative of Ogoni leadership, King Festus Babari Bagia Gberesaako XIII who is the Gbenemene of Gokana Kigndom, the sheer number and make up attested to the seriousness of the matter at hand and Tinubu has assured them that he was with them even on the streets of London and America when the military hounded all of them over the issue of democracy, human rights and free speech. He appealed to the delegation to take the message of his commitment to their welfare and clean environment to the people.

To underscore the importance of the meeting, other members of the delegation that represented Ogoni   were Senator Magnus Abe, Senator Lee Meaba, Olaka Nwogu, Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii and fiery human rights activist, Ledum Mitee. Others are Senator Bennet Birabi, Senator Barry Mpigi, Joe Poroma and Gabriel Pidomson among others. The delegation could be said to be an Ogoni first 11 due to how dear the matter is to them. They had suffered severe repression from government and oil companies leading to the death either through internal conflicts, military operations or government actions which led to the execution of people like Ken Saro Wiwaand the elders popularly referred to as Ogoni nine.

Prior to the involvement of Ribadu, a lot of water had passed under the bridge even to the extent that millions of dollars meant for remediation of the impacted areas in Ogoni was politicised and the humongous sums contributed and appropriated for the job were frittered away while the impacted still lacked farmlands and unpolluted waters to drink and ply their trade of fishing.

Previous efforts to resume oil exploration in Ogoni had not yielded much dividend because some conditions set out by the people were either ignored or implemented in breach. For example, in 2019, a 20-man and broad-based committee headed by Professor Ben Naanen on resumption of oil and gas exploration in Ogoniland set out some condition precedent to such exercise. After the committee made up of various professionals and agitators that matter to Ogoni people sat for a specified period and tinkered a report they presented to the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Legborsi Pyagbara. The report spelt out the irreducible minima of resumption which covered respect for human rights and operating under globally accepted standards as well as how such economic activities would benefit the people and proposed 15 per cent equity interests to be held by Ogonis especially the host communities.

“In Ogoni, there has to be a new strategy of ensuring that oil extraction generates ancillary industrial activities such as gas gathering and utilisation. Indeed, with Ogoni fields harbouring some of the largest gas deposits in Nigeria and the gradual transition to a gas economy, the resumption of oil production  should be accompanied  by the establishment  of gas petrochemical facilities in Ogoni,” part of the Naanen report had said.

With Ribadu on the saddle, it is obvious that Ogoni people will soon heave a sigh of relief since no money appropriated for any program in the area whether for remediation or compensation to the people would be touched by anyone given the reputation of the Negotiator. It could be said that Ogonis have every right to be worried as the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) planned with world bodies to remedy the severe damages to the environment with unprecedented pollution has dragged for years without the requisite expected results while brickbats have continued to fly over the resources meant for the exercise.

The initial plan and objective of HYPREP included to provide communities affected by pollution with reliable sources of potable water; provide alternative livelihood for people in Ogoniland  whose sources of income have been adversely affected  by oil spills among others. Regrettably, ancillary functions vested on the body have recorded more success than the remediation which was the main aim of setting up the body with the effect that the people have lost confidence in government programmes for their people which has toughened the resistance of the people, hence the current efforts to address holistically, the problems so that the resources could be harnessed for economic gains while adhering to global best practices to avoid adverse effects on the environment as well as the quest for economic gains by companies operating in the area to cause breaches in human rights.

With Ribadu on the saddle as Chief Negotiator, President Tinubu has hit a bull’s eye in his attempt to achieve a final resolution of the issues that have for decades, stopped the harnessing of the resources for the common good of the people. Apart from impacting the immediate economy of the Ogonis, the resumption of oil and gas exploitation in Ogoni will increase the revenue of the state through derivation with the ripple effect that more resources from the center will be available for the government to execute more projects for the people.

With high level achievers on the government and Ogoni teams, chances are very high that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Managing Director, Mele Kyari and Ribadu driving the effort, it could be a given that the interest of the people will be covered and knotty issues addressed since they have established themselves as high octane achievers even in very limited success space.

The Ribadu negotiation lead is very importance given that the world is moving away from fossil fuel and failure to exploit such resource would mean a great loss of revenue and non or underutilisation of natural endowments in a country where revenue and development are desperately needed. With the shift to cleaner energies, Ogoni which has a lot of gas has a lot of contributions to make in refloating the economy, hence the use of an A team led by Ribadu to ensure that as has become of him, he also makes success of engendering a final resolution of the Ogoni oil fields.

Giving his assurances, Ribadu said enough groundwork had been done to ensure possible resolution at the earliest possible time given that with a legal background and training in covert activities, he has the requisite information at his disposal and an iron will to push through either with government or with the Ogonis who he had praised their resilience while assuring them that their concerns would be addressed and their interest protected.

This is no doubt another opportunity for Ribadu to etch his name in gold by ensuring the resolution of the Ogoni issues which will be a balm to the impacted and enhance revenue for the government he has come to be a beacon of success in service to.

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