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Ogonis Hail Government Plans to Release Ken Saro-Wiwa's Remains MOSOP-UK on behalf of all Ogonis hail the approval for the release of the remains of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists. The confirmation was made in a meeting between President Obasanjo and a four-man Ogoni delegation in Abuja led by Dr. Owens Wiwa, Ken's younger brother. This good gesture of Obasanjo on assumption of office is highly appreciated by all Ogonis. KEN SARO WIWA, DR. BARINEM KIOBEL, SATURDAY DORBEE, PAUL LEVURA, NORDU EAWO, FELIX NUATE, DANIEL GBOKO, JOHN KPUINEN AND BARIBOR BERA who were murdered by the dictatorial regime of the late Abacha through hanging on November 10, 1995, are yet to receive proper burials in Ogoniland. We have not been able to access their remains due mainly to refusal by the same government that brutally murdered them to release the bodies to their families. They were hanged, disgracefully desecrated with acid and deposited en masse in an unknown grave in Port Harcourt. The release of their remains by Obasanjo will no doubt bring refreshing hopes to the minds of Ogonis and various national / international groups who have tirelessly campaigned for this request. We look forward to this great day when our heroes will be buried among their ancestors in Ogoniland. The burial of our heroes will no doubt initiate the healing process on four years of grim and traumatic experience Ogonis have had to bear. This act of goodwill from President Obasanjo will mark the beginning of a fruitful relationship between this present administration and the Ogoni people. Ogonis however will not rest until the demands for which our leaders have been murdered is realised. We will continue to strife non-violently for a better Ogoni in Nigeria and persistently demand for our pride of place. The release of the remains of our heroes is only a step in the right direction. Ours is a just cause and our struggle for justice will not go unresolved. Our peaceful demands for which thousands of our people have been killed, maimed, raped, our properties looted, our villages destroyed and burnt, our children made orphans, our wives made widows, our sons and daughters displaced and exiled remains as is stated in the Ogoni Bill of Rights. Ogonis insists that the Nigerian Government give our Bill of Rights the attention and priority it deserves. The losses we have documented for the past 41years will not be healed or forgotten until our demands are implemented. Only when these demands are met can the Ogonis begin to develop trust and build confidence in the Nigerian Government. Only when these demands are met can we believe that we have a future in Nigeria. Those who support justice and fight against oppression should rise and support the demands of the Ogoni people and indeed the Niger Delta. The release of the remains of our leaders is not in itself justice. It only initiates dialogue with the present Government. We will not believe justice has been done until the reasons for which our leaders were murdered have been met. In addition to the demands in our bill of rights, we make the following urgent request of President Obasanjo:
Our losses can never be said to have been adequately compensated. The devastation of Ogoniland and killing of her people must not be seen to have been done in vain. The future of Ogoni and those of our unborn generations must be protected today so as to herald a new beginning in our society. Ogoni must survive today and in the future. The struggle continues. Mrs Gbenewa Phido Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
