Twenty eight years after the gruesome murder, by hanging of Ken Saro- Wiwa and 8 other Ogoni leaders by the military junta headed by Sani Abacha, the people of Ogoni in particular and the Niger Delta in general, are still waiting and yearning for justice. Abacha died on June 8, 1998 in mysterious circumstances.
The injustices that led to the struggle championed by Saro- Wiwa, then President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP and his eventual murder still fester. The injustices manifest in form of environmental degradation, marginalization, benign neglect, deprivation, poverty in the midst of plenty, militarization of the region, human rights violations, repression of voices of dissent and the failure of government to deliver development in a region that provides over 80 percent of the income from sales of oil and gas on which the country depends.
Saro-Wiwa, a writer, poet, environmentalist, through MOSOP, a grassroots movement which covered the entire Ogoni kingdoms, mobilized Ogoni people in the 1990s to non-violently rise up against these injustices. But rather than listen to the complaints of the aggrieved people, the Nigerian government and Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, unleashed unimaginable violence on the people in order to stifle their voices.
The killing of Saro- Wiwa and 8 others was part of the state policy aimed at enforcing silence not only in Ogoni but, across the Niger Delta. The state policy was to ensure inflow of oil revenues without any form of interruptions through local agitations for environmental accountability.
It was expected that years after the unjust mayhem visited on the Ogoni by the military junta, positive steps would have been taken to right the wrongs of the murder of Saro-Wiwa and his compatriots and the destruction of the environment and peoples sources of livelihood by addressing the issues raised by them, especially since military dictatorship has given way to civilian governance.
Investigations by this publication reveals that even the minimal demands by Ogoni people as contained in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, which has since been submitted to the government, have remained unattended to. “if these demands contained in the Bill of rights are implemented, it will go a long way to bring succour to ogoni people, said Celestine Akpobari, an Ogoni activist and founder of Peoples Advancement Centre, a non-governmental organization that promotes the rights and wellbeing of communities. Even promises made by the government during the regime of Obasanjo to name some national monuments after Saro- Wiwa and the 8 others have remained unfulfilled, years after the promises, lamented Professor Lucky Akaruese, a professor of philosophy and human rights activist. He disclosed this at a forum organized by LEKEH development foundation at UNIPORT As part of the activities marking the 28 anniversary of the murder of Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 8.
Different fora organized to mark the 28 years anniversary provided an opportunity for the Ogonis and other environmental justice crusaders to reflect on the events of 28 years ago, the plight of Ogoni and Niger Delta as well as to renew calls for justice for Ogonis and the Niger Delta. The events started with candle light processions in Port Harcourt and different parts of Ogoni.
In Port Harcourt, the candle light procession, which was turned into a carnival of sorts was held at the 24 Aggrey Road office, which now serves as office of Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation, an organisation formed to advance the struggle for justice. The event was organized by environmental justice crusaders led by Health of Mother Earth Foundation, in conjunction with KSF, PAC, ERA and LEKEH Development Foundation.
Clothed in black attires and armed with candle light, hundreds of persons marched from the Ken Saro-Wiwa building to Port Harcourt cemetery where he was first buried after the execution. They were singing freedom songs, as well as songs of praises for Ken and other Ogoni martyrs.
