No resumption of oil production in Ogoni without involvement of Youths and Women, Group warns
By Victor Siokwu - in Niger Delta
Youths in Ogoni under the auspices of National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) has warned the Federal against resuming oil production in Ogoni without the involvement of youths and women
The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) has stated that oil production will not be allowed to resume in Ogoniland without justice, equity, and full involvement of Ogoni youths and women.
This declaration was made at the National Congress of NYCOP, held on August 16, 2025, at the MOSOP Peace and Freedom Centre, Bori, to mark the 35th anniversary of the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR).
In a communiqué jointly signed by the President of NYCOP, Barinuazor Emmanuel, and the Secretary General, Fred Mene Elijah, the group decried that 35 years after the OBR was launched, Ogoni people still face environmental degradation and economic hardship despite their significant contributions to Nigeria’s oil wealth.
The youth leaders warned that oil production on Ogoni’s OML 11 asset must only resume after proper consultation with Ogoni communities and full equity participation by indigenes.
The group, however, demanded the inclusion of Ogoni youths and women in every negotiation process concerning oil resumption and environmental justice.
They stressed that excluding young people would repeat past mistakes of marginalisation.
NYCOP reiterated the need for more sustainable development projects in Ogoniland, acknowledging the establishment of the Federal University of Environment and Technology and the ongoing Ogoni cleanup exercise.
Source: The Guardian
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