Ogoni Youths Threaten Protests Over Oil Resumption, Bori State

Youths of Ogoniland in Rivers State have threatened to embark on statewide protests if the Federal Government resumes oil exploration in the area without creating Bori State.

The President of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, Imeabe Saviour, made the position known in a letter dated September 8 and addressed to President Bola Tinubu.

The youths said they were not opposed to oil exploration in Ogoniland, which they acknowledged could promote economic growth and development, but demanded transparency and an end to what they described as clandestine oil activities.

They also called for the immediate dissolution of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, saying they had lost confidence in its composition and approach to discussions on the resumption of oil operations.

Saviour said the proposed creation of Bori State was necessary to address the political and developmental grievances of the Ogoni people, particularly in view of the lives lost and environmental degradation suffered during years of conflict over oil exploration.

The group alleged that pipelines were already being laid across parts of Ogoniland while consultations on oil resumption were still ongoing, describing the development as evidence of a lack of transparency.

The youths warned the Federal Government and oil joint-venture partners against forcing oil operations back into the area without addressing their demand for state creation.

They said they would mobilise youths across the six Ogoni kingdoms for peaceful protests in the coming weeks, insisting that oil operations should remain suspended until Bori State is created and the current dialogue process is dismantled.