Remembering Saro Wiwa and Ogoni nine

On November 10, 1995, Ken Saro Wiwa and eight others were summarily executed after a dubious judgment by a military panel.

Whenever I remember Saro Wiwa, my heart bleeds. My heart bleeds at the injustice of his death and that of the members of the Ogoni nine. My heart bleeds at the conspiracy of the military junta and the multinational oil companies.

Thinking about this uncommon hero who made the ultimate sacrifice, a question comes to mind: did Ken Saro Wiwa die in vain? This is a question with two different answers.

His death further drew international attention to the environmental degradation, actions and inactions of the oil companies. After another major oil spill 14 years after his death (2008), in a milestone decision, Shell settled a lawsuit out of court by paying £55 million to Bodo community, the largest of such payments to an African community by a multinational company.

Every villager affected by that oil spill got N600,000 naira as compensation. Meanwhile, in 2009, Shell paid $15.5m to the families of the Ogoni nine to settle a legal action over its involvement in the killing of the Ogoni nine.

Now, 22 years after his death, the environmental degradation still continues in Ogoni and the rest of the Niger Delta. Farms are destroyed, water is polluted and the people still live in poverty. The region is still not developed; despite sitting on one of the largest deposit of riches in the world. How heartbreaking!

It would be befitting if the Nigerian government immortalises this legend by naming a day, ‘The Ogoni Nine day’. It should also name a street after him in the Federal Capital Territory. Interested state governments can follow suit by naming streets after him in their respective states.

The labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain. Even if the government does not immortalise him, Saro Wiwa will forever live in our hearts. He will never die.

Ahmed Adeyemi

[email protected].