of death
Campaigner who drew global attention to Shell's environmental impact
on Niger Delta was hanged by military regime
David Smith in Johannesburg
Saturday November 13 2010
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/12/nigeria-ken-saro-wiwa
Nigeria has rejected a move to honour the writer and activist Ken Saro-
Wiwa, [http://remembersarowiwa.com" title="] 15 years after he was
hanged by the country's then military regime.
Proposals for an annual Ken Saro-Wiwa Day, and to name a street and
national monument after him, were rejected by the Nigerian senate. It
also declined to hold a minute's silence on the anniversary of his
death, the country's Next newspaper reported [http://234next.com/csp/
cms/sites/Next/Home/5641394-146/
senate_rejects_motion_to_immortalise_saro-wiwa.csp" title="].
Activists and residents attended a church service in memory of the
late campaigner, who drew worldwide attention to oil giant Shell's
environmental impact on the Niger delta [http://www.guardian.co.uk/
business/royaldutchshell" title="].
The Nigerian senate debated a motion entitled Immortalisation of Mr
Kenule Saro-Wiwa, which could have distanced it from the Sani Abacha
government's decision to execute Saro-Wiwa and eight others after what
was widely regarded as a show trial. Shell faced accusations it had
colluded with the government [http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/
nov/09/shell-pr-saro-wiwa-nigeria" title="] in the activists' deaths,
which the company strongly denied.
Senator Lee Maeba [http://senatorleemaeba.com" title="] proposed that
11 November be declared Ken Saro-Wiwa Day and that a prominent
national monument and major road in the capital, Abuja, be named after
him, Next reported.
Maeba argued that Saro-Wiwa, a leading figure in the 500,000-strong
Ogoni community, dedicated himself to solving the problems of the oil-
rich delta through a non-violent movement for social and ecological
justice.
"Saro-Wiwa's devotion of his life to human rights and environmental
struggle in the Niger delta led to his unjust imprisonment for several
months without trial and his execution for trumped-up charges along
with eight others," Maeba said.
But the plan was reportedly rejected because senators felt it would
contradict the state's action at the time and draw unwanted public
attention. Some also argued it would be unfair to include Saro-Wiwa
but not other activists who also sacrificed their lives for democracy.
Despite Maeba's plea, the senate refused to hold a minute's silence to
commemorate the anniversary of Saro-Wiwa's death. The senate did fall
silent earlier this month, in memory of the independence day bombings
victims.
Saro-Wiwa, founder of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni
People (MOSOP), campaigned for oil companies and the government to
clean up the environment and pay adequate compensation and royalties
to the oil-producing regions.
Shell pulled out of Ogoniland in 1993 following protests that also led
to a military crackdown and left scores dead, according to human
rights campaigners. In June last year the company paid $15.5m [http://
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/08/nigeria-usa" title="] (?9.62m) to
settle a legal action over the deaths of Saro-Wiwa and the eight
others in a New York federal court, without admitting liability.
Ogoniland remains impoverished and badly polluted, its creeks and
rivers coated with oil sheen. Amnesty International [http://
www.amnesty.org" title="] said this week: "Fifteen years after his
death, the same environmental and human rights abuses against which
Ken Saro-Wiwa fought continue. Amnesty International continues to
campaign for justice in the Niger delta."
guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment