NEW YEAR MESSAGE From The Government Of The Ogoni Nation By Dr. Goodluck Diigbo

OGONI SOVEREIGNTY REASSERTED: NIGERIA’S $50 TRILLION LIABILITY COMES DUE. OCIA Criticizes Nuhu Ribadu’s Misplaced Priorities Amid Northern Nigeria’s Turmoil

Dr. Goodluck Diigbo (President, Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA) Declares 2026 the Year of Ogoni Government Restitution and Territorial Enforcement.

I. A NATION AT A HISTORIC CROSSROADS
As the world enters a new year, the Ogoni Nation stands at a defining moment. For nearly three decades, we have lived with the consequences of the worst petroleum pollution in history. We have endured this devastation with restraint, dignity, and unwavering commitment to peace.

Yet today, we face renewed threats — not only to our land, but to our status as a sovereign Indigenous Nation.

II. SOVEREIGN DIRECTIVE FROM THE OGONI GOVERNMENT

The Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority is the Government of the Ogoni Nation. In that capacity, we issue this New Year directive:

Any attempt by Abuja or its collaborators to enter Ogoni territory for petroleum operations — without explicit authorization from the Ogoni Government — constitutes a violation of Ogoni sovereignty and an act of economic aggression against our People.

Those who target our most contaminated sites for renewed drilling are not partners in development; they are economic terrorists attacking a wounded land.

III. INTERNATIONAL LAW AFFIRMS OGONI GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY

For the first time in nearly thirty years, I address the Ogoni People and the international community as President of the Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority. Our position is grounded in international law, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which affirms:

• The right of Indigenous Peoples to selfdetermination

• The right to maintain and strengthen their political, legal, economic, social, and cultural institutions

• The right to own, use, develop, and control their lands, territories, and resources

• The right to give or withhold free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC)

These are not requests. These are rights that confirm and protect Ogoni governmental authority over Ogoni territory.

IV. CALLING OUT MISPLACED PRIORITIES: THE RIBADU CONTRADICTION

Abuja’s renewed push for Ogoni oil is driven by desperation to sustain reckless and unsustainable borrowing. Even the Northern Elders Forum has raised concerns about the financial direction of the nation state, yet they have failed to confront the conduct of Mr. Nuhu Ribadu — a man who hails from a northern region plagued by terrorism, banditry, and bloodshed.

Instead of applying his security expertise to the crisis in his own homeland, Mr. Ribadu is consumed by fantasies of petroleum resumption in Ogoniland. He ignores the insecurity in the North — the speck in his own eyes — while imagining that invading Ogoni territory for oil will somehow solve Abuja’s debt problems.

This is not security strategy; it is reckless opportunism.

V. THE RECORD OF LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

Let the record show:
• The Distinct Ogoni Nation is owed an estimated value exceeding $50 trillion in environmental and economic losses.

• Nigeria should be borrowing to repay what it owes Ogoni, not scheming to invade Ogoni territory to service its foreign creditors.

• Any military or paramilitary entry into Ogoni territory to impose petroleum operations will be treated as an unlawful incursion into a sovereign Indigenous Nation.

VI. AFFIRMATION OF OGONI SOVEREIGNTY FOR 2026 AND BEYOND

As we enter this new year, we affirm:
• Ogoni sovereignty is not delegated by Abuja and cannot be overridden by debt, force, or political desperation.

• Ogoni territory is not under Abuja’s disposal for oil resumption.

• Our consent is not symbolic; it is a legal requirement under international law and an expression of our sovereignty.

VII. MESSAGE TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
The Ogoni Government does not seek recognition —

we demand respect for our sovereign status.
Any external attempt to restart oil operations in Ogoniland without Ogoni authorization is a violation of our sovereignty and an international matter involving Indigenous rights and environmental justice.

VIII. MESSAGE TO THE OGONI PEOPLE
Remain vigilant, organized, and united under your own government. Protect your communities, your institutions, and your territory. Show no mercy to those who — through policy, pollution, or force — have never shown mercy to you.

IX. MESSAGE TO ABUJA
The age of unilateral extraction in Ogoniland is over.

The age of Ogoni selfgovernment is here.
It is too late to drag Ogoni back into the era of imposed exploitation.

X. CONCLUSION: THE YEAR OF RESTITUTION AND TERRITORIAL ENFORCEMENT

This new year marks not only the continuation of our struggle, but the full assertion of our governmental authority over our land and destiny.

2026 is the Year of Restitution and Territorial Enforcement.

— Dr. Goodluck Diigbo
President, Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA)

Government of the Ogoni Nation