Ogoni Group Petitions Tinubu Over Alleged Diversion of $300m Compensation, Demands Justice, Cleanup Reform

The Ogoni Liberation Initiative has submitted a petition to Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, decrying what it described as a “grave injustice” involving the alleged diversion of \$300 million in compensation meant for the Ogoni people.

The funds were reportedly paid by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11, but allegedly siphoned off by the former Rivers State Government in collaboration with individuals falsely claiming to represent Ogoni interests.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Douglas Fabeke, he disclosed that not only was the OML 11 compensation mismanaged, but the broader environmental cleanup of Ogoniland has suffered similar neglect.

The Ogoni people have suffered enough. We will not stand idly by while funds meant for our restoration and well-being are looted,” said Dr. Fabeke.

He pointed to the $1 billion allocated to the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), alleging that it has failed to deliver tangible progress on the ground.

The group outlined several troubling irregularities, including the misappropriation of N123.4 billion allocated for the Ogoni electricity project, N6.4 billion for portable water, and N22.8 billion earmarked for the second phase of the Ogoni water project.

Fabeke further criticized HYPREP’s livelihood programs and cleanup efforts, claiming they fall far below the standards set by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

In a passionate appeal, the Ogoni Liberation Initiative called on President Tinubu to order an independent investigation into the alleged financial mismanagement. They also demanded a forensic audit of HYPREP’s spending, a restructuring of the agency under a new name; the Ogoni Restoration Authority and the immediate dissolution of its Governing Council and Board of Trustees.

Beyond financial restitution and cleanup reform, the group is also pushing for the posthumous exoneration of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others executed in 1995 for protesting oil exploitation and environmental degradation in Ogoniland.

Reaffirming their belief in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the group expressed optimism that the president will take decisive action to redress the long-standing environmental and economic injustices faced by the Ogoni people.

They warned that failure to act swiftly would deepen public distrust and perpetuate the suffering of a region already burdened by decades of oil pollution and neglect.