By Tina Amanda
As the people of Ogoni mark, the twenty-eight remembrance of the slain Ogoni martyrs, families of the murdered nine Ogoni sons have cried out over neglect by the federal government and international communities.
The families of the slain Ogoni Martyrs who expressed their grievances when the leader of Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Dr. Douglas Fabeke, paid them a visit to commemorate the 2023 Martyrs Day, explained that the purpose for which their loved ones were killed is yet to be actualized as they have not been able to feel the impact of the struggle in terms of development in the area.
They further demanded an independent self-governance structure for the Ogoni people due to the level of marginalization by the federal government.
In an interview with our Correspondent, Charity Paul Levula, widow to one of the slain Ogoni 9, the late Paul Levula lamented that since her husband’s demise, she has been suffering and languishing in poverty without any help from the government or anyone.
“I am not happy, since my husband died I do not had any meaningful thing doing, i am suffering, I barely have food to eat. To survive has become difficult I need help.
“This is 28 years my husband died in the struggle nobody has remembered me and my family, no help from anybody not even the government” she lamented.
Samuel Deekai Kpuinen, Elder brother to late John Kpuinen, said if the government had remembered why the nine Ogoni son’s died and granted their request, they would not have been complaining or bothered.
“The only regret is both the government and the international community have not made the purpose of the slain Ogoni martyrs death realizable. If they had remembered why they died and granted us the request the nine Ogoni sons were agitating for before they were killed, them nobody would have complained.
“Somebody must die for something to happen our regret is that why our people died has remained the same instead of having improvement we are having more regrets and pain.
“I will be happy if the United Nations and the federal government will recognize the purpose of which the slain Ogoni martyrs were killed for.
“Ken was agitating for an independent self-governing government for the Ogoni people. The proceed from the oil and whatever they are deriving from the Ogoni land led to that agitation, we have not seen the impact or development.
“Ogoni is still as it was, our son’s are not considered. Now that we have been neglected upto this point if they can now grant us that independence for Ogoni to be self-governed, let’s use our resources for the benefit of our people and the unborn to come it will alleviate our grievances”.
Leader of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Dr. Douglas Fabeke demanded for the setting up of a legal team by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to look into the execution of Late Ken Saro Wiwa and 8 others and exonerate them from a crime they never committed.
“We adopt the report from the International Human Rights Group which stated that the execution of late Ken Saro Wiwa and eight others did not follow due process. The special tribunal lacked independence and impartiality because it was set up by the executive expressly to hear the case, and its members were hand-picked to execute this end.
“The apprentice of Lieutenant-Colonel
Hammid Ibrahim Ali, an active member of the armed forces under the command of General Sani Abacha, the head of state, as well as the lack of any provision for independent review of the tribunal’s judgment, renders the tribunal’s independence partially questionable.
“The composition of the tribunal violates Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law. We hereby demand that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should quickly set up a legal team to look into the execution of Late Ken Saro Wiwa and 8 others to exonerate them from the crime they never committed.
“They were only crying against the environmental injustice against the Ogoni people. Mr. President, you have the opportunity to write your name in the book of History by correcting the wrongs done to the Ogoni people, the Niger Delta and other ethnic minorities in Nigeria, your administration should set an agenda to correct the wrong done to the
Nigeria people”.
Dr Fabeke further demanded for the adoption of the UNEP report on the comprehensive cleanup of the Ogoni environment, noting that HYPREP has failed to implement the report.
“We adopt the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) report. We congratulate the former President of Nigeria, His Excellency Mohammadu Buhari for flagging up the implementation of the report.
“We, however, state that the Ministry of Environment and HYPREP cannot carry out a comprehensive cleanup of the
Ogoni environment in line with the UNEP report as they have failed in every measure as far as the process is concerned. We demand that the process be reviewed in line with international standards and best practices.
He called for the engagement of an international organization in collaboration with UNEP to carry out the exercise and ensure a comprehensive and proper cleanup of the Ogoni environment.
The Leader of the Liberation Initiative expressed dissatisfaction with the High Level of Misappropriation of Ogoni Clean-up Fund by.
“We and the entire Ogoni people express our high level of dissatisfaction with the way and manner the funds meant for the clean-up of the Ogoni environment have been misappropriated by HYPREP. Available records show that so far, a total sum of Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Million Dollars (366 USD) has been released to HYPREP for the clean-up of the Ogoni environment.
“The said sum was released to HYPREP through the Ogoni Trust Fund, which have also been admitted by the management of HYPREP”.
Our Correspondent report that the Ogoni Liberation Initiative Leader gave a cash gift to the slain Ogoni 9 families and also paid a visit to the Paramount Ruler of Giokwo community in Gokana LGA, His Royal Highness Mene Domalookie Kimanyiere.
The nine Ogoni son’s that were executed during the military regime of General Sani Abacha were, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine, Paul Levula.
