“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr; Political Philosopher and Activist
The tragedy of injustice and internal conflict
It is now 29 years since the writer and activist Ken Saro Wiwa and eight of his comrades were tried by a military tribunal, and sentenced to death for incitement and murder. They were executed in what many believe was an act of injustice.
While a lot of Nigerians believe that Mr. Saro Wiwa and other 8 other Ogonis, – were put on trial under the false pretext that the group had incited the murder of four Ogoni chiefs in May 1994, and that they were innocent on one hand; on the other hand, the relatives of the Ogoni 4 who were lynched and murdered by a mob that they believe was incited by late Mr. Saro Wiwa, feel deeply aggrieved that Ken Saro Wiwa, who was alleged to have been publicly critical of the Ogoni 4 and verbally denounced them with leaflets that were widely distributed, in which Saro Wiwa was alleged to have called them ethnic traitors, and evil government collaborators.
At the crux of the crisis that ensued was the agitation led by late ken Saro Wiwa and the other Ogoni leaders called “The Ogoni 9” who were a group of nine activists from the Ogoni region of who opposed the operating practices of the Royal Dutch Shell oil corporation in the Niger Delta region.
My heart goes out to all parties, i.e.; the family of the Ogoni 9 and the family of the Ogoni 4. This is a sad story that reflects our reality in Nigeria. A family tussle that culminated into a tragedy of brothers killing brothers, and we are where we are today with Ogoni land deeply divided and in agony. I totally agree with the fact that what happened to Ken Saro Wiwa and the other eight Ogonis was also a miscarriage of justice. Maybe if proper judicial process was followed, by the General Sani Abacha administration, maybe if Ken Saro Wiwa and others were alive; the family of the Ogoni 4, could have had the opportunity to seek justice, in which case Ken Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 8 would have had a fair hearing and in the end, justice would have been served, or seem to be served. Ironically, the Ogoni 9 and the Ogoni 4 were all fighting for the betterment of their people, and now they are all gone, Nigeria has moved on, while the families of the Ogoni 9 and the Ogoni 4 are still agonizing over what happened. Importantly the state of mind of the Ogoni 13, the entire Ogoni family, and how they will be able to go through this painful process and get healing as a family is still a concern.
There is no peace without reconciliation and healing
Sadly, instead of the Ogonis being united in the fight for a better Ogoni land; 29 years have been wasted due to internal conflict, which has made the efforts of Ken Saro Wiwa and all the other Ogonis that died on both sides of the struggle – to be ineffectual. The vested interests have rather been beneficiaries of this unfortunate internal strife, as they will continue to enjoy while the Ogonis suffer. Indeed, there will be no unity without genuine peace, and there will be no peace without objective and genuine reconciliation. Therefore, due to the underlying issues, there are mutual suspicions, deepening acrimony, and building generational hatred amongst the Ogonis, and sadly so. With this situation a united, peaceful, and prosperous future for Ogonis is bleak.
However, unless the underlying issues are addressed, the Ogonis will not get closure on the issues that are bedeviling them and their society, enjoy inner peace, and consequently continue to collectively fight for the betterment of their people. As the saying goes, “United, we stand, divided, we fall”. It is the responsibility of Government at the Federal and State levels to mediate a process that will lead to amicable resolution and closure, on both sides; like the ability of the Ogoni 4 to be able to locate their loved ones and give them proper burial and closure, the recognition of not just the Ogoni 9, but also the Ogoni 4 on equal terms by the Federal and State Governments with regards to national honors, compensation (if any), etc. A reconciliation process that will bring the families of the Ogoni 13 to at least learn from the mistakes of the departed leaders and build a better community, etc. is very important. Unless such a process is facilitated, the Ogoni’ will continue to suffer and continue to be easy prey to vested interests as they remain in disunity.
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Furthermore, the current recalcitrant position taken by the current leaders of Ogoni is not helping matters. They should make efforts to achieve peace. Only then could governments or people of goodwill, could contribute to the peace process. External forces/ stakeholders will not bring peace to Ogoni land unless the Ogonis allow it. Peace cannot be installed by force or coercion, because if that happens, then, it is not peace but “uneasy combustible calm”. Accordingly, I say to the Ogoni elders; “you should not think of your selfish or political interests. Think of your children, your grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Think of your community and your society – which is your collective identity. How could you collectively fight for better positions/ opportunities at the state and national levels in Nigeria, when you are so divided at the kit and clan level? As elders you can only leave legacies if there is peace and progress in Ogoni land. Otherwise what you will leave behind is a worsening toxic society full of hate and stories of infamy on both sides of an internal conflict that may be more catastrophic as your children grow, bottled up with issues that you are unable/ refuse to resolve during the remaining days of your lives. Please, I ask that you make all your efforts thus far in life worthwhile, and leave a collective lasting legacy such that united you can stand and succeed.
Indeed, the tragedy of the killing of Ken Saro Wiwa and the other 8 Ogoni leaders, as well as the murder of the Ogoni 4 is unfortunate. I cannot imagine the trauma that the families of all the fallen leaders have been going through which will remain etched in their psyches and ways of life for the rest of their lives.
Natural resources host communities deserve better in Nigeria
The injustice and inhumanity of maltreating oil and gas communities and other natural resources host communities, as the nation basks in the wealth that is being drained from those communities, as the communities wallow in abject poverty, and environmental degradation with attendant physical, mental, and emotion health calamities, is pathetic and speaks loudly of “man’s inhumanity to man”. Those people and their communities deserve much better. I have seen in other countries where the people from whose land such wealth as Oil, Gas, etc. are extracted for national development are treated with respect, love, and care – so much so that they become the envy of their fellow citizens. Consequently, they feel a deep sense of belonging to their communities and nations and also feel a sense of pride in their Countries. In fact, even in cases where such locals had to be relocated, they hardly regret being removed from their ancestral lands due to the way their Governments take care of them and their families for their entire lives. Of course, the deep connection to their ancestral lands will remain with them. Therefore, the way that their histories are preserved by their governments gives them a sense of belonging, as efforts are continually made by their respective Governments to preserve their historical cultural heritage and values while containing the environmental impacts of the resources’ exploration and management.
From my professional and business experience in the Gulf region particularly, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia; I have witnessed a classic example of how other Countries where the people from whose land such wealth like Oil and Gas are extracted for national development are treated with respect, love, and care. For instance, in the United Arab Emirates, particularly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where decades ago the Governments at subnational and national levels, undertook the process of Oil exploration, environmental impact management of the exploration, stakeholder management, and even when and if relocations of the locals took place how a holistic approach was undertaken such that the citizens were well taken care of to this day. It is such a beautiful example of how to treat our people.
I wish that our Governments at the Federal and state levels will change the ugly trend, while I also wish that there will be peace and unity in Ogoni land and Nigeria in general.
