The President of KAGOTE, Chief Lesi Maol, says to effectively mark the 2026 Ogoni Day of Mourning for the Ogoni Nine, proposed developmental agenda must turn their sacrifice into concrete progress.
Speaking to traditional rulers, elders, women, youths and community leaders, Maol recalled that 31 years ago, on 10 November 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders were executed.
“Their courage gave us a voice and a foundation,” he said. “The greatest tribute we can pay is to build an Ogoniland that reflects the dignity and aspirations for which they stood.”
Maol challenged the people to move beyond annual tributes to ensure that enough had been invested in education, youth opportunity, women’s empowerment and institutional strength.
While noting that Remembrance without responsibility is incomplete, He praised the quiet community efforts scholarships, school renovations, health support and diaspora initiatives and highlighted KAGOTE’s Teachers Intervention Programme, run with local government councils, as proof that partnership delivers results.
He appealed especially to young people on social media to reject hostility and use platforms for education and constructive debate.
Maol outlined priority areas: stronger schools and vocational training, economic empowerment especially for women and youth, better primary healthcare, improved infrastructure, modern agriculture and environmental restoration, and the preservation of Ogoni languages and culture.
He proposed an Ogoni Development Partnership Forum to coordinate voluntary contributions and track progress.
On the proposed resumption of oil activities, Maol struck a measured tone. He thanked President Bola Tinubu and the Rivers State Government for dialogue and declared the Ogoni people “willing, ready and committed” to a peaceful, mutually beneficial arrangement.
Yet he insisted any Memorandum of Understanding must be comprehensive, enforceable and beneficial for generations, standing the test of time like the 1990 Ogoni Bill of Rights.
“Let the memory of our heroes inspire not only what we say, but what we do for one another,” Maol concluded.
