As the Ogonis and the world remember the slain playwright and an environmentalist and the founder of the Movement of the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ken Saro Wiwa 20 years after his execution by the Abacha junta administration, the Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friend of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FOEN) Dr. Godwin Ojo said Shell Petroleum Development Company must pay for the murder of the activist, Dr. Ojo made the remark at the press briefing to mark the 20th anniversary commemoration of the murder of playwright, Ken Saro Wiwa and eight Ogoni leaders.
The press conference was jointly organized by Societal Action, Ogoni Solidarity Front (OSF) and friends of the International to commemorate the gruesome murder of the activist and progenitor of the campaign to “keep our oil in the soil”.
Dr. Ojo said the 20th anniversary commemoration of Ken Saro Wiwa’s murder underscores again the struggle against Shell and by extension, pollution injustice in the Niger Delta, particularly Ogoniland, after the death of Ken and others, especially land; air and water pollution which Shell is the principal culprit.
He maintained that the legacy of Ken Saro Wiwa is massive and serves as a symbol of hope to the Ogoni and the world at large noting that the non violent campaign against environmental degradation and the destruction of the ecosystem was caused by Shell and the non involvement of the Federal Government.
The executive Director ERA/FOEN further explained that Saro Wiwa advocated for the rights of the Ogoni people as contained in the Ogoni Bill of Rights which was set up by MOSOP with demands which include a fair share of the proceeds of oil extraction, remediation of environmental damage to Ogoni land and political inclusion of the Ogoni people away others.
Dr. Ojo charged the Federal Government to set in all necessary steps to fast-tract the cleaning up Ogoni land while responsibility with impunity corporate social saying Shell had killed the messenger but not the message.
Also speaking, Comrade Celestine Akpobari of Ogoni Sodality Front and Ken Henshaw of Social Action said the Nigerian State has continued to reward those who killed Ken Saro Wiwa and others as they tasked the Nigerian customs to released the Ken Saro Wiwa Art Work seized by the Nigerian Customs.
“Customs were threatening by a non-motorist and tireless bus. The bus is a symbol of peace, unity, peace and global solidarity”.
Earlier, the President of Friends of the Earth International Jagoda Munic said the Ogoni struggle is vital and has gone beyond the Nigeria borders over the years saying the struggle is a global one and no pressure can erase the memory and legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa.
In their resolution, the group tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the release of the bus. ###
Pius Dukor
