By Banji Ojewale
We
are prepared to fight to the last cup of blood…
The
Ogoni people are determined: everyman, woman
And
child will die before Nigerians will steal their
Oil anymore. - Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941-1995)
*Ken Saro-Wiwa (pix: wikipaedia)
Nineteen years ago on November 10,1995,
more than two years after he made this grim prediction, Ken Saro-Wiwa, renowned
writer, TV producer, newspaper columnist and irrepressible minority and
environment rights campaigner did indeed die. But not a natural death. He was
executed along with eight others by a Nigerian state in the grip of military
dictator Sani Abacha who felt he had run out of patience with the man that
pummeled Nigeria
Ken battled the reckless degradation of
Ogoni as no one else did. For years before he was arrested and subjected to a kangaroo
trial that ended with his execution, Saro-Wiwa stood on the tripod of
intellectual discourse, writing and peaceful protests to lash out at the
conspiracy of government and the oil companies that despoiled his people. He
argued that this infernal bond between an “irresponsible” government and
“indifferent” oil companies resulting in death-dealing blows on his kinsmen was
unacceptable. Big money came from the frenetic oil exploration (exploitation).
But Ogoni had nothing to show for being the bird that produced the golden eggs.
Instead Ogoni had pain. Saro-Wiwa lamented that these arose from the fact that
in a so-called federal set up the rights of the minority were appropriated by
the state and added to the rights of the majority ethnic groups.
