The family of late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa has welcomed the posthumous national honour conferred on him and eight other Ogoni leaders by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the gesture as symbolic of their innocence.
President Tinubu, during a Democracy Day address on June 12 before a joint session of the National Assembly, posthumously awarded national honours to Saro-Wiwa and the others—collectively known as the Ogoni Nine—executed in 1995 under the regime of military dictator Sani Abacha. He also hinted at granting them a state pardon.
In a statement issued the following day and signed by Noo Saro-Wiwa, British-Nigerian author and daughter of the late activist, the Saro-Wiwa family expressed gratitude for the honours, saying the move “further re-enforces the global view that the judgement given almost 30 years ago was flawed and their execution considered to be judicial murder.”
Noo described her father and the other executed men as “innocent and peaceful activists who drew the attention of the world to the plight of the Ogoni people, who suffered environmental devastation due to oil drilling by Shell.”
While appreciating the honour, the family also called for a formal review of the judicial process that led to the 1995 executions, saying it would “heal all wounds” and pave the way for “complete exoneration” of the men.
Nnimmo Bassey Criticizes Timing of Honour
However, not all responses were celebratory. Renowned environmentalist and director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Nnimmo Bassey, said that while the Ogoni Nine deserve recognition, the timing of the honours—when the government is attempting to increase oil production—was inappropriate.
“The move is ill-timed,” Bassey told PREMIUM TIMES. “A mere pardon at this time appears to be aimed at reopening the oil wells in Ogoniland — a step that would mean dancing on the graves of the murdered leaders.”
He reiterated his longstanding position that only full exoneration—not a pardon—can deliver justice. “Exoneration is the political action we demand of the government to bring a closure to the environmental genocide and other crimes committed against the Ogoni people.”
Past Rejections of State Pardon
This is not the first time the idea of a state pardon for the Ogoni Nine has been floated. In 2021, Bassey and 10 other civil society leaders rejected a similar plan by then-President Muhammadu Buhari. The Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation also opposed the move, demanding exoneration and a state apology for what they described as a travesty of justice.
Bassey recalled the somber memory of November 10, 1995, the day of the executions. As secretary-general of the Association of Nigerian Authors at the time, he was attending the group’s annual conference at the University of Lagos when news broke that the executions had taken place—even before the appeal period had lapsed.
“That day remains one of the saddest in my life,” he said.
Saro-Wiwa and the others were sentenced to death by a military tribunal over the alleged murder of four Ogoni chiefs. However, many Nigerians and international observers have long held that the men were framed due to their non-violent campaign against the exploitation and environmental destruction of Ogoniland by multinational oil firms, particularly Royal Dutch Shell.
The renewed national recognition of the Ogoni Nine has once again reopened national conversation around justice, accountability, and the lingering scars of Nigeria’s oil politics.
