By Lukman Olabiyi
A leading environmental organisation, the Clean Environmental Foundation (CEF), has called on President Bola Tinubu to extend a state pardon to Ken Saro-Wiwa, an Ogoni leader who was executed by the military government in 1995.
The group also recommended declaring Saro-Wiwa a national hero and naming a national monument after him.
The Executive Director, Isaac Omomedia, in a statement, emphasised the profound impact of Saro-Wiwa’s death on the Ogoni people and the wider Niger Delta region, highlighting the ongoing environmental and social struggles faced by the area.
The group urged President Tinubu to understand the deep pain and suffering caused by the execution and take steps toward reconciliation by offering a state pardon to the late activist and his eight fellow Ogoni leaders who were also judicially murdered under the regime of General Sani Abacha.
Ken Saro-Wiwa, a writer, activist, and vocal critic of environmental injustice in the Niger Delta, was arrested in 1995 following the violent deaths of four Ogoni leaders. The military government accused him of orchestrating the killings, but many observers have long argued that the charges were politically motivated. A tribunal set up by the regime led to the death sentences of Saro-Wiwa and his fellow activists, a trial that drew widespread international condemnation, including from prominent figures such as Nelson Mandela.
Saro-Wiwa’s activism focused on the environmental devastation caused by oil extraction in Ogoniland, which has endured since the 1950s. The region suffers from environmental pollution, health hazards linked to gas flaring, and widespread destruction of farmland and ecosystems.
CEF emphasised that while the return of oil exploration to Ogoni is a key issue, it should not overshadow the need to rebuild trust between the Nigerian government and the Ogoni people.
Omomedia stated: “The government must not give the impression that profit is more important than justice.”
He further urged President Tinubu to honour Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues, saying that a state pardon, along with a national hero declaration and the establishment of a monument would help heal the historical wounds and restore faith in the government. Omomedia believes such actions would instantly gain the support of the Ogoni people and the broader Niger Delta region.
Ken Saro-Wiwa, born in October 1941, was a Nigerian writer, poet, and social rights activist who rose to international prominence for his efforts to draw attention to the environmental degradation caused by oil companies in the Niger Delta. His efforts remain a symbol of resistance against environmental injustice in the region.
As the Niger Delta continues to grapple with the ecological fallout from decades of oil exploitation, the call for justice for Ken Saro-Wiwa remains a critical issue for many in the region.