--------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NIGERIAN DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT NDM PRESS RELEASE That The World May Know In Memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa Wednesday, November 10, 1999 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four years ago, news of the extra-judicial murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists hit the world like a thunderbolt out of the blues. It was the supreme sacrifice paid by these individuals for a worthy cause - calling attention of the world to the environmental devastation of their Ogoni communities, their economic marginalization and their need for greater autonomy and control of their lives. At the same time, it let the world know the true character of the brutal regime of Sani Abacha, and removed once and for all any mis-taking of its evil nature. On this first anniversary after the dawn of our nascent civilian democracy, we remember Baribor Bera, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbokoo, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Paul Levura, Felix Nuate and of course Ken Saro-Wiwa, and pledge that their fight for a true federalism in Nigeria will never diminish. RELEASED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE NIGERIAN DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vanguard: 5th Lead story Ogonis lament woes *Four years after Saro-Wiwa By Sam Onwuemeodo, Port Harcourt THE Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) which marks today, the fourth anniversary of the hanging of its leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogonis, lamented yesterday that Ogoniland remained "polluted and our waterways fouled." However, counsel to Ken, Mr. Femi Falana said yesterday that members of the tribunal that sentenced the "Ogoni Nine" to death must be tried in Ogoniland. According to the US branch of the movement, compensation from the Obasanjo government has also "failed to arrive," while Shell "continues to put pressure the government to reopen operations in Ogoni. Ken, Baribor Bela, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbokoo, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Paul Levura and Felix Nuate were hanged on November 10, 1995 in the Port Harcourt Prisons just a few days after they were sentenced to death by a military tribunal for the murder of four Ogoni leaders. Their executions earned for Nigeria, particularly the Sani Abacha regime, much hatred abroad, culminating in the suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth. The executions came while that organisation's Heads of State and Government were meeting in New Zealand. Nigeria will be formally rejoining the organisation later this month in South Africa where the next meeting comes up. However, in a statement in Chicago, USA to mark the Ogoni Eight's death, MOSOP said: "Every day we commemorate the nine brave environmentalists, and non-violent fighters for the Ogoni cause for an environmentally healthy region for all Ogonis, whose lives were taken by a crazed dictator acting in concert with Shell Oil. But on this special day we share our memories most openly. "News that is startling to the world, but came as no surprise to Ogonis and their friends, recently confirmed from no less a source than the Director of the Nigerian Environmental Ministry that the oil companies were behind the death of the Ogoni Nine. "We ask the world to pause in the midst of its busy existence on November 10 to remember the unjust and cruel deaths of nine men who through their supreme sacrifice alerted the world to the horror that was Nigeria during those times. We ask that their memories be honoured: *Baribor Bera *Saturday Dobee *Nordu Eawo *Daniel Gbokoo *Barinem Kiobel *John Kpuinen *Paul Levura *Felix Nuate *Ken Saro-Wiwa "There can be no doubt that it was this tragic event that led to the world's awareness of the extreme and murderous repression that was occurring in Ogoni, and conditions throughout Nigeria, situations that continued even after the hangings. "We are firmly convinced, and Ken Saro-Wiwa's writings leave no doubt, that Ken was fully aware of the end to which his actions would lead yet willingly gave of himself so that Ogonis might live a peaceful and happy life in a healthy and productive environment. We know that his only regrets for that grim day in 1995 would be that eight other innocents were sacrificed in an attempt to conceal the central target, himself, of the government's and the oil companies' rage." Meanwhile, addressing a rally Tuesday at Bori, Ogoni, Mr. Falana said: "Those who tried the Ogoni Nine must be tried here. The members of the panel must be told that the wives and children of the Ogoni Nine are crying for justice. "Those who waged war against Ogoni people must be tried for genocide. Those who killed Ogoni people must be tried for murder. Those who attempted to kill Ibru and Adesanya must be tried of attempted murder. These trials and justice must take place before leniency," he stated. Vanguard Transmitted Wednesday, 10 November, 1999 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vanguard: MidWeek Features Saro-Wiwa was a trail-blazer Alfred Ilenre By Sunday Okechukwu Ken Saro Wiwa at an early age realised that Nigeria was an artificial creation. As a literary man, anthropologist and activist he was quite aware that there is no future for a nation with a multi-ethnic composition, language and perspective. He was a trailblazer. The awareness in the country today whereby every section is calling for self-determination is anchored on the foundation laid by Saro Wiwas struggle in the cause of the defence for ethnic rights and integrity. Today the international community is aware more than ever before about the state of marginalisation, ecological degradation and economic exploitation perpetrated by multinational oil prospecting companies in the Niger/Delta. To that extent, the legacy left behind by Saro Wiwa is yielding positive results. What is your opinion of Kens ideals? During the Nigerian civil war, I interacted a lot with Saro-Wiwa at the war front. He was concerned about the prospect of Nigeria disintegrating. In spite of the shortcoming of the Nigerian federation, he did not support the secession of Biafra, which he saw as the creation of another Nigeria in another name to continue the marginalisation and oppression of the minority tribes of the eastern region. He believed that if the Igbos had fought for their own self -determination as an ethnic group, without forcefully involving other ethnic groups in the region, he would have supported them. He opposed the unilateral decision of the Biafran authorities to involve other ethnic groups in eastern region without their consent. How did you feel when you heard about his execution four years ago? Kens execution was like a dagger in the heart. A few weeks after his arrest in 1994, my international passport was impounded by agents of the State Security Service (SSS). I saw him while he was in detention in Port Harcourt six times. He was always in high spirits because he knew he was fighting for a just cause. He knew history would vindicate him. There are times when I think about him, especially when certain things happen. I used to imagine how he would have articulated a position and handled such situations. He envisaged most of the problems Nigeria is presently going through more than anybody else I know except Chief Anthony Enahoro. Does this office hold any memories of him you want to recall? Of course, this place was a Mecca of sorts for the tripod of history makers: poets, journalists and writers, statesman and philosophers. They all used to visit here. It was not surprising therefore that when the evil Abacha regime cooked up charges against him and went ahead to condemn and execute him, the entire international community, including heads of states like President Bill Clinton of the United States of America (USA), Prime Minister John Major of Britain and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa were outraged. By his death Nigeria became a pariah state. It became an object of ridicule in the face of small nations that looked up to Nigeria. What happened to you after Ken Saro Wiwas arrest? When they seized my international passport, shortly after his arrest while I was on my way to Geneva for a conference of ethnic nationalities, it became very clear that the federal government was after anybody who was linked to MOSOP. MOSOP was an affiliate of EMIROAF. However, when my first son was arrested in Lagos in April 1996, by SSS operatives who were looking for me, it became fool hardy for me to remain here and pretend I was safe. I was assisted by international and religious Non -Governmental Organisations to escape out of the country. These were people who knew how Abacha was ready to deal with his enemies. When I escaped from the country, I stayed in Ghana. But due to the proximity of Ghana to Nigeria, I had to move away further. I was always travelling to Britain, Switzerland, Belgium, South Africa and Latin America and a lot of African countries. There were a lot of experiences I gathered. I have been able to find out that the ethnic minority and nationality question is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. I was always elated and encouraged when I saw small ethnic communities in India, Malaysia, Thailand, Argentina, Columbia and Ecuador displaying the photograph of Ken Saro Wiwa as a hero of ethnic minority peoples all over the world who believed that a cause worth living for is worth fighting for, and a cause worth fighting for is worth dying for. I am overwhelmed whenever I saw photographs with characters and writings I do not understand. But when the message on them is translated, I realized that the people of Niger Delta who are the most marginalised people in the world today are not alone in their struggle. What is your opinion on the Niger/Delta Development Commission Bill President Olusegun Obasanjo has presented to the National Assembly? Many people have already said that it is the wrong approach to solve the problem of the Niger/Delta. I also believe it is the wrong step to take in trying to do the right thing. The Niger/Delta people are not babies who should be treated like this. They have lived in their present abode for thousands of years without having any business with people who are today deciding their fate. I think the solution to the problem in the Niger Delta is to give the people of the area the right to self-determination and control over their resources. What I mean is that the six federating units in the country should be given the right to self-determination. It is also important that we return to the derivation revenue sharing formula which stipulates that 50 percent of the revenue accruing from sale of natural resources should be reserved for federating units in whose territory the natural resources are located. The remaining 35 percent of the incoming revenue should be at the distributive centre where it can be shared by the federating units equally, while the remaining 15 percent should be for the central government. This is the formula applicable in India. After the derivation revenue sharing formula has been adopted, the Federal Government should work out how it is going to reimburse the excess cash it has appropriated from the federating units since 1970 when they started distorting the previous revenue sharing formula. This reimbursement to the federating units should be paid with the interest that has accrued on it. How do you assess governments response in terms of providing social amenities and infrastructure since the agitation of the oil producing communities against environmental degradation, economic exploitation and military oppression began? I think the government is ignorant of what is going on there. This also applies to the multinational corporations operating in the area. Some people are saying government ought to be held responsible for what has happened so far. But the question of which government you are talking about arises. When you see a stranger digging up your fathers land and you ask him what he is doing and he replies that it is the government that authorized him to carry on, you then ask which government the man is talking about. I think some of the multinational oil corporations have come to the realization that just getting authorization from government to operate somebodys inherited land property is not enough. Many of the local people you find in the Niger Delta can live without your cities. The multinational corporations think that the people are primitive. But these same people are by right, stakeholders in the resources of the area. We cannot say that there has been any physical development in the area. All I can say is that our people have become aware that they are being exploited. Given the current situation whereby different sections are agitating for one thing or the other, what do you think the future holds for this country? The multi-ethnic nation state has no future anywhere. For example, Europe that created multilingual societies in Africa has monolingual, monocultural and monospiritual societies. Even Britain that has been keeping Scotland all these years has now realised the futility or continuing with this policy. They have now decided to decentralize. It is not for nothing that industrial states like the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were dissolved and rearranged into monolingual states. I believe Nigeria should run a confederal system where only three major things should bind us together as common services. These should be common currency, foreign and military policies. Besides these three, each ethnic group should be granted autonomy to provide social amenities, education, health, chieftaincy matters and agriculture. Value Added Tax (VAT) and petroleum pump price commission should belong to the states where they are derived from. Under no circumstance should the federal government have a share of these things since it has nothing to do with the federation account. Vanguard Transmitted Wednesday, 10 November, 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------