Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — In a historic move aimed at national healing and reconciliation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday granted a posthumous state pardon to renowned environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the rest of the Ogoni Nine, three decades after their controversial execution by the Sani Abacha-led military regime.
Speaking at a joint session of the National Assembly to commemorate Democracy Day 2025, President Tinubu also conferred national honours on other nine activists, acknowledging their sacrifices in the struggle for environmental justice and democratic ideals in Nigeria.
“I also confer posthumous national honours on Ken Saro-Wiwa (CON), the leader of the Ogoni Nine and his fellow travellers,” Tinubu announced.
“I shall also be exercising my powers under the prerogative of mercy to grant these national heroes a full pardon, together with others whose names shall be announced later in conjunction with the National Council of State.”
Those honoured alongside Saro-Wiwa include Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine, all executed in 1995 after a military tribunal found them guilty in a trial widely condemned by international human rights groups as flawed and politically motivated.
Each of the eight was conferred with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON, while Ken Saro-Wiwa was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.
This marks the first time a Nigerian President has officially acknowledged the role of the Ogoni Nine in the national democratic journey and taken steps toward state-led rehabilitation of their legacy.
The Ogoni Nine were prominent members of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, which campaigned against environmental degradation in the Niger Delta caused by oil exploration. Their execution drew global outrage, including Nigeria’s temporary suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1995.
President Tinubu’s gesture is seen as a watershed moment in Nigeria’s history, especially for the Ogoni people who have long clamoured for justice and recognition.
“As we mark a twenty-sixth year of unbroken democracy, it is right to honour those who made sacrifices in the past, braving all the odds and the guns,” Tinubu stated.
He described the late Saro-Wiwa and his compatriots as “national heroes” who stood on the frontlines of justice, democracy, and environmental protection.
Tinubu’s speech also highlighted the broader struggles for democracy in Nigeria, paying tribute to key figures including Chief Moshood Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Alfred Rewane, Anthony Enahoro, Commodore Dan Suleiman, and Gani Fawehinmi, among others.
“The struggle was never the province of any one group or section of the country. It was pan-Nigerian in its conception and will be even more pan-Nigerian as we strive to perfect it.”
The posthumous honours and pardon represent a powerful symbolic step toward reconciliation and national unity, particularly in the light of decades of mistrust between oil-producing communities and the Nigerian state.
The announcement is expected to draw widespread attention and reactions, particularly from civil society, environmental advocates, and Niger Delta communities, who have consistently demanded formal exoneration and restitution, not state pardon, for the executed men.
The move may also impact ongoing conversations about environmental remediation in the oil-rich region, particularly the Ogoni Cleanup Project, which has seen slow progress in the years since its launch.
This article was originally posted at sweetcrudereports.com
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