By Abbas Nazil
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has posthumously conferred national honours on late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others known as the Ogoni Nine, while also granting them a full state pardon.
The announcement was made during his address to the joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of Democracy Day 2025.
Tinubu awarded Saro-Wiwa the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), and conferred the Order of the Niger (OON) on Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine.
He also disclosed that additional names for the presidential pardon would be revealed in consultation with the National Council of State.
This development follows a renewed call by the Clean Environmental Foundation (CEF) for the Federal Government to recognise Saro-Wiwa as a national hero.
In a statement issued Tuesday, CEF urged President Tinubu not only to issue a posthumous pardon but also to name a national monument after the late activist.
The group emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to heal the wounds of the past by addressing the longstanding grievances of the Ogoni people.
CEF’s Executive Director, Isaac Omomedia, highlighted the pain and trauma still felt in the Niger Delta due to the 1995 execution of Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues under the regime of General Sani Abacha.
Omomedia stressed that the return of oil exploration in Ogoniland should not come before repairing the fractured relationship between the Nigerian state and the Ogoni people.
He described Saro-Wiwa as a peaceful advocate for environmental justice whose efforts were globally recognised.
While welcoming the government’s gesture, critics have noted that CEF’s statement made no mention of the four prominent Ogoni leaders allegedly murdered by a mob incited during Saro-Wiwa’s activism.
Among them was Chief Albert Barde, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, who was killed after seeking refuge in a church.
The military government at the time held Saro-Wiwa responsible for the killings, though many viewed his trial and execution as politically motivated.
Ken Saro-Wiwa, born in October 1941, was a writer, poet, teacher, and social rights activist.
He led the non-violent struggle for environmental justice in the Niger Delta, particularly for the Ogoni people, before his execution on November 10, 1995.
