Mr President, ‘Ogoni 9 Pardon’ is not enough to restart Oil Exploration in Ogoniland

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his address to the National Assembly on June 12, 2025, announced the pardon of Late Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 Ogoni chiefs who were brutally killed by General Sani Abacha on November 10, 1995, for their advocacy against the devastation of Ogoniland by multinational oil corporations. I found Mr President’s use of the word “pardon” as opposed to “exoneration” quite disturbing. The dictionary defines a state pardon as an official act of forgiveness granted by the State for a criminal offence committed, while exoneration is the act of vindication or officially absolving someone from blame.

The Ogoni 9 were wrongly charged by a kangaroo court and murdered by the Nigerian State; they were not criminals! Why are you giving a pardon to victims? I expect the President’s team to retract this (as they have been doing a lot lately) and use the correct pronouncement for the sake of history. Looking at the big picture, with unconfirmed rumours of President Tinubu’s attempt to restart oil exploration in Ogoniland, what does this mean for the Ogoni people and the future of host communities in the Niger Delta? 

What Ken Saro-Wiwa means to me

I was three years old when Ken Saro-Wiwa was murdered, but growing up and learning more about this brave man from my tribe, through oral accounts by my dad, and all he did to fight for our people and the conservation of our land always inspired me greatly. My lucky stars aligned when I got to connect with Ken Wiwa Junior, the first son of Late Ken Saro-Wiwa, through the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community. For many months in 2016, we spoke about his dreams and my plans, and how he planned to move the legacy of his dad forward by leveraging technology to empower young people in Rivers State. He always said, “We can never win this fight for justice without knowledge.” Then, three weeks before we were meant to see, Ken Junior passed. I remember receiving the news while attending the Niger Delta Development Forum in Owerri, and crying myself to sleep that night. 

I wrote a tribute for him on the Huffington Post, and I have always felt that burden he shared with me for our people and our state ever since then. It is the burden that led me to work with the Stakeholder Democracy Network to research on the barriers to the growth of the tech ecosystem in Niger Delta, which led to the establishment of the Ken Saro-Wiwa Innovation Hub in 2017 at 24 Aggrey Road, Late Ken Saro-Wiwa’s former office in Port Harcourt. Five years ago, while completing a Harvard Kennedy School Executive Program, taught by the legendary Prof Marshall Ganz, I wrote a reflection paper dissecting the significance of Saro-Wiwa’s last words before his execution. Two years ago, I led a campaign asking President Tinubu to change the name of the Port Harcourt Airport to Ken Saro-Wiwa International Airport to immortalise his work and selfless advocacy for Rivers State and the Niger Delta region at large. 

Putting the Ogoni People First

“My lord, we all stand before history. I am a man of peace, of ideas. Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly endowed land…” This was Saro-Wiwa’s opening statement in his speech to the military tribunal in 1995. Almost 30 years later, the plight of the Ogoni people has not changed; endowed richly but suffer greatly.

Mr President and dear state and ethnic leaders, in your attempt to restart oil exploration in Ogoniland, if these rumours are true, I believe there must be a conscious effort to do the following five things, in addition to several important steps activists and key stakeholders are calling for, to ensure that the welfare of the Ogoni people are put at the center at all times: 

1. Sign a bond with the Ogoni people stating that the Federal Government of Nigeria shall complete the clean-up, remediation, and restoration of oil spill-impacted areas of Ogoniland per the United Nations Environment Assessment report. The Federal Government is notorious for making empty promises to the Ogoni people in the past; thus, there must be a strong agreement that is binding on successive administrations to finish the clean-up and remediation exercise promptly and conclusively.
2. Adherence to Global Guidelines on Environmental Protection to ensure that we do not have a repeat of the devastation we are now experiencing in Ogoniland. This will require frequent (even quarterly) environmental audits by international partners and firm penalties for national and international oil companies who fail on any of the guidelines, including the seizure of operating licenses. 
3. Creation of an Ogoni Future Trust Fund to invest in the education and enterprise development of Ogoni youth.  I am aware of the 13% derivation formula and the Host Communities Development Trust as part of the Petroleum Industry Act. However, in addition to whatever resources these platforms will provide, I am convinced that there is a need for a dedicated trust fund that should cater to the future of the Indigenous people of Ogoniland. Ken Saro-Wiwa seems to agree with me too when he said, “We all stand on trial, my lord, for by our actions we have denigrated our Country and jeopardised the future of our children…”
4. Promotion of Local Content in line with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICDA) of 2010, which ensures the utilisation of Nigerian resources, services, and manpower to add value to the industry, fostering local capacity development. Ogoni youth should have an opportunity to work and build businesses that service the oil companies that mine the resources in their soil. This request is in line with the role the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) plays in regulating and monitoring local content requirements. 
5. Security of Lives and Livelihoods. No thanks to the contamination of our land and water, livelihoods have been destroyed. In line with promises made by the National Security Adviser, there should be a concerted effort to strengthen peacebuilding and early warning mechanisms across Ogoni communities to ensure lasting peace and harmony. This is not a call for more guns and military boots – instead, it is a call for the prioritisation of the sanctity of lives, much more than the oil in the ground.

What Would Ken Saro-Wiwa Say?

Just like the Qataris were fishermen and pearl divers over 30 years ago, the Ogonis are farmers and fisherpeople who can no longer survive no thanks to pollution. I believe that the growth and development the Qataris have seen in the past three decades across all facets of human life is possible in Ogoniland and Rivers State at large if visionary leadership meets the right political will to invest in the present and the future and turn hydrocarbon resources into human benefit. This is what inspired me to convene the Rivers 2050 Vision project, which I started in February 2025, hoping to inspire citizens in Rivers State to envision a future where Rivers State can become the Qatar of West Africa over the next 25 years. 

Mr President, I am aware that you have the power to disregard all I have said in the last 1,000 words and proceed with the plan for oil exploration, if the rumours are true, without considering the welfare of the Ogoni people and honouring the lives that have been lost in the process of fighting for justice and dignity of the Ogoni people. 

This is why I will close my message to you with the last words of Ken Saro-Wiwa as he concluded his speech to the tribunal 30 years ago. “In my innocence of the false charges I face here, in my utter conviction, I call upon the Ogoni people, the peoples of the Niger delta, and the oppressed ethnic minorities of Nigeria to stand up now and fight fearlessly and peacefully for their rights. History is on their side. God is on their side. For the Holy Quran says in Surah 42, verse 41: “All those that fight when oppressed incur no guilt, but Allah shall punish the oppressor.” Come the day.”