Ogoni community protests exclusion from industrial park allocation

The people of Taabaa community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State have protested the exclusion of their community’s name from a list of host communities of the proposed Ogoni Industrial Park.

 They cried out after Nyokuru and Beeri communities handed over 40 hectares to the Federal Government through Nigerian Content Development  and Management Board (NCDMB) for the establishment of the park.

 Ogoni Industrial Park is said to be part of the confidence-building measures adopted by the Federal Government’s Ogoni Dialogue Committee for the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland.

The Secretary, Barasi-Taabaa Council of Chiefs, Chief Pyagbara Prosper Gote-Nee-uwe (Mene Asaa), community elders, Community Development Committee (CDC) and the youth kicked against the development.

Chief Pyagbara said the exclusion of Taabaa as one of the host communities for the proposed project was unacceptable, explaining that about 54 plots of the community’s land were included in the 40 hectares handed over to the Federal Government.

He said the community earlier complained to the Ogoni Dialogue Committee during the survey of the land, adding that the officials promised to rectify the error.

The secretary said he was surprised that the committee did not mention the name of their community when the area was officially handed over.

 He said: “On the 21st of August, 2025, we raised concern about this and we were invited by the Ogoni Dialogue Committee.

“So, we went there and presented our issue of how part of Taabaa land has been included in the survey. They told us that we should not worry further, that they have also been told during consultation with the Nyokuru people that Taabaa land is there.

“They told us to go and stop every action we had taken. That they were going to consult us at the handover of the land to the Federal Government.”

 The monarch emphasised that they were not against the building of the project on their land, but that they should be recognised like others for donating their land for the project.

 He said if the project executors failed to recognise their sacrifice, they would insist that survey plan be reviewed to enable the community take back its land. 

 He said: “Fifty-four plots of land were captured from Taabaa into that survey plan. So, it’s either they will include us as part of the host communities or they review the survey plan and delete our own side of it. Let our land be for our people.

‎‎”We are not against this project. It’s a project we are all in need of because it will bring development to Nyor-Khana people, but we should not be deprived of our own inheritance.

“If other communities are recognised as host communities because they donated land to this project, Taabaa should also be recognised as host community because we donated land too.”

‎The monarch called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Office of the National Security Adviser, Rivers State Government and security agencies to prevail on the relevant agencies to include Taabaa in the land ownership for the proposed project.

‎Mr Godspower Mbaedee, acting youth leader of Barasi Taabaa, said youths would not allow the community’s land to be used for the project without recognition.