𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻 𝗢𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹'𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘁

𝗕𝗬 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗔 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘, 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮, 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮.

The Federal Government has begun consultations with host communities in Ogoniland, Rivers State, as part of efforts to restart oil production in the area following the sale of most of ’s onshore assets in Nigeria.

Shell’s $2.4 billion divestment to a consortium of indigenous firms under Renaissance Africa Energy Company was recently confirmed by presidential energy adviser, Olu Verheijen, effectively bringing to a close the energy giant’s decades-long onshore operations in the Niger Delta.

The planned resumption of oil activities in Ogoniland is being considered by the Federal Government as a strategy to boost Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings and increase crude oil output.

Oil production in Ogoniland was halted in 1993 after widespread protests led by local communities over allegations of environmental degradation, oil spills and human rights abuses linked to oil exploration activities in the area.

Veteran environmental activist and former president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), , said there appears to be growing support among stakeholders in the region for the return of oil operations.

According to him, ongoing consultations are aimed at ensuring that any restart of production is based on agreed local conditions and dialogue with affected communities.

The development comes amid a broader withdrawal of several Western oil companies from Nigeria’s onshore sector. Firms including , , and have either scaled down operations or shifted focus offshore due to insecurity, oil theft, sabotage and longstanding environmental controversies in the Niger Delta.

Shell’s exit from the onshore business had earlier sparked protests from environmental and civil society organisations, including and SOMO, a Dutch non-profit group, which demanded proper environmental remediation before the completion of the transaction.

Concerns also remain over the environmental impact of decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta. Several scientific reports have documented high levels of crude oil contamination and heavy metals in water sources and farmlands across affected communities.

A United Nations-backed cleanup exercise in Ogoniland, funded largely by Shell and supervised under recommendations by the , has also faced criticism over alleged poor implementation and slow progress.

Environmental groups and community leaders continue to call for greater transparency, accountability and remediation efforts before full oil production resumes in the region.