Ogoni youth groups demand action on 20-point report and Bori State

A coalition of Ogoni youth groups has asked President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government to move from talk to action on the 20 demands in the Ogoni Dialogue Committee's report, with the creation of Bori State at the centre of the plan.

The Coalition of Ogoni Youth Groups (COYOG) made the call in a statement signed by 17 youth leaders, including Chief Kpakol Aleema Kpakol of the Ogoni National Youth Congress and Comrade Collins Lebeteh Kenneth, its spokesman.

The groups said the dialogue was never meant to end in speeches. They want a written interim Memorandum of Understanding that sets out which institutions are responsible, how long each step will take, how it will be funded and how progress will be reported to the public.

They also urged the President to set up a representative Presidential Implementation Committee with clear targets and enough authority to coordinate the work.

Bori State demand

COYOG said the Bori State demand must be handled openly and through the constitutional process for creating states. It warned that the demand should not be ignored, postponed indefinitely or used as a bargaining chip by politicians.

"For COYOG, the demand for Bori State is a fundamental question of political inclusion, equitable representation, administrative accessibility and the aspirations of the Ogoni people," the coalition said.

The group also raised concerns about who leads the dialogue committee. It said Senator Olaka Wogu was recognised as leader at a service of songs in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, but insisted he is only a member of the committee's Harmonisation Subcommittee. Professor Don Baridam, the coalition said, leads the central committee and his mandate should be respected.

"No individual, irrespective of political status or influence, should place himself above the established institutional framework of the ODC," the statement said.

The youth groups also asked for answers on a reported $300m fund linked to the process, saying Ogoni people deserve to know where the money came from, what it is for and how it will be managed. They said transparency and finishing the dialogue are not in conflict.

What happens next

The coalition said it will keep pressing institutions to keep their promises, and called on Ogoni leaders, traditional rulers, women's groups and civil society to stay united. It said success should be judged by commitments fulfilled and better living conditions for ordinary Ogoni people, not by the number of meetings held.