The group is also demanding compensation for their families and the naming of a national monument in Saro-Wiwa’s honor.
An environmental advocacy group, Clean Environmental Foundation (CEF), has called on President Bola Tinubu to grant a state pardon to the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni leaders executed under the military regime of late General Sani Abacha.
The group is also demanding compensation for their families and the naming of a national monument in Saro-Wiwa’s honor.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, the CEF described Saro-Wiwa’s execution as a “judicial murder” and urged the Nigerian government to take corrective action.
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend state pardon to Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others judicially murdered by the Nigerian state under Gen. Sani Abacha,” the statement, signed by CEF’s Executive Director, Isaac Omomedia, read.
Omomedia stressed the need for justice, stating that the Nigerian government must acknowledge the suffering and marginalization of the Ogoni people.
“The return of oil exploration in Ogoni is not as important as building broken trust between the Ogoni and the Nigerian authorities. The government should not give the impression that it is more interested in profit than in justice,” he said.
Ken Saro-Wiwa, a renowned writer, environmentalist, and activist, was executed on November 10, 1995, alongside eight other Ogoni leaders.
Their deaths came after a military tribunal found them guilty of involvement in the killing of four prominent Ogoni chiefs. However, many viewed the trial as a sham orchestrated by the military government to silence opposition.
Saro-Wiwa had led the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), a non-violent group that campaigned against the environmental destruction of Ogoniland by oil companies, particularly Shell. His activism brought international attention to the plight of the Niger Delta, exposing decades of pollution, gas flaring, and government neglect.
Despite global outrage — including condemnation from world leaders like South Africa’s Nelson Mandela — the Abacha regime went ahead with the executions. The incident led to Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth and widespread diplomatic sanctions.
In its latest press release, CEF insisted that Nigeria must correct the injustice done to Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine.
“President Tinubu should do the right thing. He will instantly enjoy the support of the Ogoni people and the entire Niger Delta if he can be courageous enough to reclaim the lost trust between Ogoni and the Nigerian state,” Omomedia stated.
The group also urged the government to name a national monument after Saro-Wiwa, recognizing his contributions to environmental justice and human rights.
“Ken Saro-Wiwa was a man of peace who never resorted to armed insurrection, yet he was killed by the Nigerian state. His execution remains a stain on the country’s history,” Omomedia said.
Ogoniland, located in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, has suffered decades of environmental devastation due to oil exploration.
Since the 1950s, multinational oil companies have been accused of reckless practices that have led to oil spills, gas flaring, and the destruction of farmlands and fishing waters.
Despite government promises to clean up the pollution, many Ogoni communities still suffer from contaminated water, poor air quality, and loss of livelihoods.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a damning report in 2011 detailing the environmental damage in Ogoniland and recommending urgent remediation. However, progress has been slow, with many locals accusing the government and oil companies of neglect.
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