Democracy Day commemorates Nigeria’s hard-won right to dissent and assemble, a right Saro-Wiwa and others exercised at mortal risk. Now that the presidency has taken a critical step, he must ‘show workings’ by making sure the pardon of these martyrs becomes the mandate to cleanse our nation’s soil and soul alike.
“President Tinubu must make sure his tenure oversees the rapid revival of poisoned lands, the restitution of stolen livelihoods, and the accountability of every corporate actor whose pipelines and flares turned a vibrant delta into a toxic hinterland.
“Anything less would betray both the sacrifice of heroes past like Ken Saro-Wiwa and the very spirit of June 12,” the statement added.
“Ken Saro-Wiwa was a writer, poet, and political activist who founded the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and led a non-violent campaign against the oil pollution and mindless exploitation of Ogoni land and waters by Shell and other big oil corporations.
“Yet in 1995, under the Abacha junta, he and eight fellow leaders—Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine—were unlawfully arrested, subjected to a sham trial, and arbitrarily hanged. They paid with their lives for courageously defending the pillage of their homes and rights to live in dignity.
“Three decades on, nothing has changed. Despite evidence and witness testimonies showing Shell’s wicked collusion with the Nigerian state and military to crush the Ogoni resistance, the company continues to operate without accountability and has even succeeded in divesting its Niger Delta subsidiary to a Nigerian consortium to evade mounting liability.
“Till today, the executions of the Ogoni 9 remain an indelible stain on Nigeria’s record and proclamation alone will not vindicate their legacy,” CAPPA’s Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi said
Oluwafemi further said that “Genuine tribute demands decisive action. The presidency must match these honours awarded today with political will by speeding up the full cleanup and restoration of Ogoni land. Major oil polluters that have caused this pain and devastation must answer for every drop spilled.”
He recalled that “In 2011, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) assessment of Ogoni Land recorded that its soil and water remain so dangerously polluted that restoring safe farmlands and access to potable water will take up to 30 years, as well as cost at least USD 1 billion, with the first five years alone demanding that full sum.
“Although urgent remediation plans were highlighted years ago, including a recommendation for an initial USD 1 billion capital injection from both the polluting oil actors and the Nigerian government to facilitate the process, to date, substantive cleanup and justice for Ogoni communities remain stalled, even as alarming discussions and plans to resume oil production in the region have surfaced in recent times.
“The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), established by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2017 to oversee the environmental cleanup and provide drinkable water to locals following the UNEP assessment, remains plagued by many controversies. Contracts have been found outsourced to firms with no track record or environmental credentials.
“Meanwhile, the polluters-in-chief, including Shell, Total, Agip, and the former Nigerian government-owned NNPC, which comprise the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Joint Venture partnership for the clean-up exercise, pledged $900 million, to be paid over five years. Yet since their first $180 million deposit in 2018 into the Ogoni Trust Fund, a HYPREP-managed escrow overseen by government, they have contributed only $572 million in total.
“The Nigerian government, for its part, has failed to pay its counterpart fund put at N100 billion, arguing that the NNPC serves as its proxy,” the statement observed.
CAPPA, therefore,urged the Federal Government to immediately match talk with action by insisting upon the full payment and transparent disbursement of every dollar owed to the remediation of Ogoni land.
It also urged President Tinubu to commit to a legally binding moratorium on oil exploration in Ogoniland and not use the pardon as a cover for resuming drilling in the area.
“The presidency must institutionalise community reparations, ensuring that total and thorough cleanup is achieved and verified by independent experts, civil society, villagers, and local communities. The Nigerian government must also compensate farmers and fishers for decades of lost harvests, while also investing in renewable energy and agro-ecology programs to rebuild livelihoods,” it said.
“Our demands are not rocket science, they are the sine qua non of genuine reconciliation and healing.
“Democracy Day commemorates Nigeria’s hard-won right to dissent and assemble, a right Saro-Wiwa and others exercised at mortal risk. Now that the presidency has taken a critical step, he must ‘show workings’ by making sure the pardon of these martyrs becomes the mandate to cleanse our nation’s soil and soul alike.
“President Tinubu must make sure his tenure oversees the rapid revival of poisoned lands, the restitution of stolen livelihoods, and the accountability of every corporate actor whose pipelines and flares turned a vibrant delta into a toxic hinterland.
“Anything less would betray both the sacrifice of heroes past like Ken Saro-Wiwa and the very spirit of June 12,” the statement added.