By Ofem John Obongha JKNewsMedia Reporter
THE POSTHUMOUS pardon of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists by President Bola Tinubu has drawn cautious praise from Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
It however insists that honouring the slain environmentalists must go beyond symbolism to deliver justice, reparations, and environmental restoration for Ogoniland.
The organisation described the presidential gesture, announced during the June 12 Democracy Day address, as a long overdue reckoning aligned with the 30th anniversary of the 1995 executions that shocked the world.
It warned, however, that history will remain stained unless the Nigerian state acts swiftly to clean up decades of oil pollution and hold perpetrators accountable.
Ken Saro-Wiwa, a writer and political activist, led a non-violent resistance through the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), challenging environmental degradation caused by Shell and other oil multinationals.
In November 1995, he and fellow activists, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine, were executed following what CAPPA describes as a sham military tribunal under the Abacha regime.
CAPPA’s Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi noted that while the presidential pardon may serve as a moral acknowledgement of injustice, it cannot replace the need for decisive government action.
He called for accelerated efforts to complete the cleanup of Ogoniland, prosecute corporate actors involved in environmental crimes, and compensate communities for decades of devastation.
The United Nations Environmental Programme’s 2011 report on Ogoniland confirmed widespread and severe oil pollution.
It recommended an initial $1 billion investment, shared by the Nigerian government and oil companies—for a cleanup that could span three decades.
Yet, despite the launch of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in 2017, the remediation effort remains mired in controversy.
Investigations have revealed that contracts were awarded to unqualified firms, while sites listed as remediated often remain visibly barren.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Joint Venture pledged $900 million, with a first tranche of $180 million paid into a government-managed escrow fund in 2018.
As of 2025, only $572 million has been contributed, and the Nigerian government has yet to pay its expected N100 billion counterpart funding, citing NNPC’s role as its proxy.
CAPPA insists that the federal government enforce the full payment of outstanding funds and ensure their transparent disbursement.
It further urged President Tinubu to enact a legally binding moratorium on oil exploration in Ogoniland to prevent future exploitation disguised as reform.
The group demanded community-led verification of cleanup efforts, independent environmental assessments, and compensation for farmers and fishers whose livelihoods have been decimated.
It also advocated for a long-term investment in renewable energy and agro-ecology to regenerate local economies.
Democracy Day, the organisation stated, marks the right to dissent and organise—freedoms that cost Saro-Wiwa and others their lives.
CAPPA stressed that this year’s pardon must not become a token but a transformative mandate to cleanse Nigeria’s poisoned land and restore dignity to its people.
“Anything less would betray both the sacrifice of heroes past like Ken Saro-Wiwa and the very spirit of June 12,” the statement concluded.
