Dr. Leloonu Nwibubasa, former Rivers State Commissioner for Empowerment and Employment Generation, has cautioned that any move to restart oil production in Ogoniland must strictly adhere to international protocols. Speaking during a live interview on Arise News, Nwibubasa stressed that environmental safety, community engagement, and tangible development outcomes must take precedence over political expediency.

Reacting to the National Security Adviser’s recent comments about potential re-entry into the oil-rich but long-contested Ogoni territory, Nwibubasa noted that the people of the region are torn between fear and cautious optimism. According to him, Ogoniland still bears the deep scars of environmental degradation caused by past oil operations, and without a credible commitment to environmental justice and remediation, any new attempt at oil resumption would only provoke resistance.

He insisted that the federal government must first ensure that the environmental clean-up promised under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), based on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, is completed to an acceptable standard. Nwibubasa argued that clean-up efforts must not be superficial, but instead properly audited and validated by the affected communities.

Beyond environmental concerns, he called for genuine negotiations between the federal government and the Ogoni people, stating that dialogues must be rooted in mutual respect and lead to clearly defined outcomes that improve local livelihoods.

He criticized what he described as tokenistic gestures in past government approaches, asserting that Ogoni people want meaningful change, not mere appeasement.

Nwibubasa painted a bleak picture of the region’s current condition, lamenting that despite decades of oil extraction, Ogoni communities still suffer from poor infrastructure, lack of local employment in the petroleum industry, and continued marginalization. He questioned why key facilities like refineries and pipelines do not benefit the people directly, warning that any future oil activities that replicate past injustices would only deepen mistrust and instability.

He concluded by urging the government to adopt a transparent and accountable approach that aligns with global best practices, adding that the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland must be founded on concrete, empirical evidence of progress and fairness.

For Nwibubasa, anything short of this risks undermining peace and sustainability in one of Nigeria’s most symbolically significant oil regions.