Ogoni youths threaten protests over oil exploration, state creation

President of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, Imeabe Saviour.

Youths of Ogoniland in Rivers State have declared that unless the Federal Government creates Bori State, the planned oil resumption activities in the area will not happen.

The youths also called for the immediate dissolution of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee currently in talks with the Federal Government on the return of oil exploration in Ogoniland, saying the Ogoni people have lost confidence in its composition.

President of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative, Imeabe Saviour, stated this in a letter dated September 8, 2026, addressed to President Bola Tinubu, a copy of which was made available to PUNCH Online on Tuesday.

Saviour said although the youths are not opposed to oil resumption in Ogoniland, which they said would engender economic growth and development, they demanded an immediate cessation of secret oil drilling in the area, especially as talks were still ongoing.

The letter, titled ‘Notice of Protest Against Oil Resumption in Ogoniland Without Creation of Bori State’, was also copied to the President of the Senate, the National Security Adviser, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), among others.

The letter partly reads, “The leadership and entire membership of the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative (OYDI) hereby notifies the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Government of our intentions to embark on a statewide protest in the coming weeks against oil resumption without the creation of Bori State.

“Also, we write to make our position clear regarding the clandestine and insincere moves to resume oil operations in Ogoniland. Let it be known that we are not fundamentally opposed to economic progress or oil exploration in our land.”

While noting that a generation of Ogoni leaders had died during the crisis that rocked the area, he said a major step that would be commensurate with the lives lost and the environmental devastation suffered in the land was the creation of Bori State.

• UNIZIK lecturers begin indefinite strike over incomplete August salary
• Protest in Sokoto over court order remanding Islamic cleric
• NNPC disowns fuel truck conveying cannabis

The letter continued, “However, the ground of Ogoniland is soaked in the blood of our heroes who died fighting for justice, equity, and the survival of our people. We cannot, and will not, allow their ultimate sacrifices to be in vain. At this stage of our struggle, the only outcome that can truly be commensurate with the lives lost and the environmental devastation suffered is the immediate creation of Bori State.

“If the Federal Government cannot grant this simple request of the Ogoni people by creating Bori State, then they must leave our oil in the ground. Again, we want to state that we have completely lost faith in the Federal Government’s approach due to a total lack of transparency in these oil resumption moves.

“A stark example of this insincerity is the ongoing laying of pipelines across Ogoniland while stakeholders are supposedly still talking,” Saviour stated.

The OYDI president said the action of the Dialogue Committee was an act of bad faith which undermined the Ogoni people and “proves that the current process is designed to exploit us once again and cause more chaos in our midst rather than ameliorate the years of suffering.”

Consequently, OYDI demanded the immediate disbandment of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee.

“We, the youths, have completely lost confidence in this committee. Their operations lack transparency, they are not inclusive of the youth demography, and they do not represent our collective interests anymore. Their activities regarding oil resumption must be aborted immediately.

“Adherence to the Ogoni Bill of Rights: The Federal Government must respect the foundational terms of our struggle as outlined in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, beginning with the political autonomy that only the creation of Bori State can guarantee. Finally, we warn the Federal Government and all joint-venture partners to cease all clandestine moves to force oil operations back into Ogoniland without addressing our core demand for state creation.

“In the coming days, OYDI will fully mobilise Ogoni youths across all kingdoms for massive, widespread protests. We will go all out to peacefully but firmly shut down any attempt to resume oil operations until Bori State is created and the fraudulent dialogue processes are dismantled. We have chosen the path of justice for our fallen heroes. Create Bori State, or leave our oil in the ground. That is our demand,” the youths added.