The Facilitators of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) have clarified that there are currently no oil and gas production activities in Ogoni directly linked to the ongoing Ogoni re-entry programme.
This clarification was made on Wednesday August 26, 2026 in a press statement signed by the Chairman of the ODC, Prof. Don Baridam, Co-Chairman, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey, Secretary, Jackson Tom Orage, and member, Joe Poroma.
According to the Facilitators, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had maintained that it had no knowledge of alleged oil-rig operations in Ogoni.
They, however, disclosed that investigations were ongoing into allegations of oil-rig operations in Alesa-Eleme.
On the issue of contract awards, the ODC Facilitators categorically stated that the committee had never awarded, allocated or distributed contracts of any kind. They explained that contract awards were never part of the ODC’s mandate, stressing that the committee neither possessed the authority nor the machinery to award or influence government or NNPCL contracts.
The Facilitators also dismissed claims that employment opportunities secured through the dialogue process were allocated as patronage by the ODC. According to them, NNPCL insisted on maintaining its established professional recruitment standards and selected candidates from its existing database of qualified Ogoni applicants who had previously gone through its recruitment processes.
They said although some ODC members submitted names for consideration, the recruitment and selection process did not pass through the committee, and the ODC did not determine who was employed.
Regarding State creation, the Facilitators said the creation of an Ogoni State remains a key demand of the ODC.
They disclosed that following the Federal Government’s non-rejection of the demand, the ODC established a Tactical Sub-Committee to work out modalities for achieving the creation of Bori State.
They noted that the Federal Government had acknowledged that state creation requires constitutional procedures, adding that the necessary processes had been set in motion.
On the current status of the dialogue, the Facilitators said the ODC had submitted its report containing the demands of the Ogoni people to the Federal Government, which subsequently responded.
They explained that consultations were thereafter held with various Ogoni interest groups, leading to the establishment of a Technical Committee to review the positions of both sides.
“The Technical Committee has completed its assignment and submitted its report to the ODC”.
The ODC subsequently resolved that a Joint Harmonization Committee, comprising representatives of the Federal Government and Ogoni, should be constituted to harmonise areas of agreement into an Interim Memorandum of Understanding, while negotiations continue on unresolved issues, particularly the creation of Bori State.
The Facilitators said the composition of Ogoni’s representatives on the Harmonization Committee was reviewed after concerns were raised, adding that the decision to reconstitute the representation was communicated to ODC members and received positively.
They urged Ogoni stakeholders to focus on constructive engagement and the successful conclusion of the dialogue process.
