Ken Saro-Wiwa

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Hello. I’m Christy Van Arragon.
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And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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‘Ogoni is the land
The people, Ogoni’
‘It is the poisoned air
polluting the lungs
Of dying children’.
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Ken Saro-Wiwa wrote these words from his prison cell. They speak about the troubles of his people - the Ogoni people. These are one of many native groups in southeast Nigeria. They come from an area near the Niger river, called the ‘Niger Delta.’ Ken Saro-Wiwa spent many years fighting for the rights of his people. And he died fighting for this cause. Today in the month of November we remember the anniversary of his death. And we celebrate the life of a man who never gave up hope for the Ogoni people.
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Ken Saro-Wiwa was born on the 10th of October 1941. His whole family were from the Ogoni area. Saro-Wiwa worked hard at school. He managed to win a place at university. It was here that he discovered his gift for writing. He became a teacher. But this job did not last very long. People were talking about war in Nigeria. So he went to work for the government.
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In 1967, war started in Nigeria. There had been problems for some years. One area wanted its own separate independence. The other areas fought to stop this happening. The war lasted three years. But, in the end Nigeria stayed together.
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Saro-Wiwa’s most famous books are about that war. One is “Sozaboy”. This sad story is about a village boy. He joins the war. But he does not understand what he is fighting for. The other book is, “On a Darkling Plain.” In it, Saro-Wiwa talks about his experiences during the war.
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Saro-Wiwa loved his country. However he felt strongly about equality. He wanted the government to treat all the different people groups the same. Saro-wiwa believed that the people should have more control over what happened to them. He spoke about the rights of his people - the Ogoni. Because of this, he had to leave his job.
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The situation got worse for native groups like the Ogoni. In 1958, people discovered oil in the Niger Delta. Soon large oil companies started to dig many wells. One of these companies was Shell - a multi national oil company. However, the oil wells badly damaged the land and the environment. Around twenty million people lived in the Delta area. And they were not happy. Many communities depended on the environment. They were farmers and fishermen. Damages to the environment did not just damage people’s health. It took away their earnings. Shell said that they offered to clean the oil spills.
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But it was not just environmental damage that troubled the Ogoni people. Most of the money from the oil went to the government or oil companies. The native people continued to live in poor conditions.
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Saro-Wiwa knew that he had to do something about the situation. So in nineteen ninety he helped form MOSOP: the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People. This non violent group called for political control of Ogoni affairs by Ogoni people. It stated their rights to protect their environment. The group performed peaceful protests against the oil companies. In particular, people protested against the main company ‘Shell.’
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Shell resisted the protests. The Mobile Police Force in Nigeria also intervened. Homes were destroyed. People were killed.
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MOSOP appealed to the international community for help. In July 1992, Saro-Wiwa spoke to the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Peoples in Geneva;
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‘I speak for the Ogoni people. Forgive me if I am emotional about this matter. I am Ogoni… Oil was discovered in Ogoni in 1958. Since then, oil and gas has been taken - around one hundred billion dollars worth! In return for this, the Ogoni people have not received anything.’
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Saro-Wiwa also gave evidence to support his words. He presented his published book. It is called, ‘Genocide in Nigeria: The Ogoni Tragedy.’ The book speaks about the way Shell treated the Ogoni people. It compares the difference in their dealings with Europe to Nigeria. Saro-Wiwa accused Shell of judging people by their race. And he accused them of mass murders - genocide.
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In January 1993 MOSOP organised peaceful marches. Around three hundred thousand [300 000] Ogoni people gathered. This reached international news. It was the largest demonstration against an oil company.
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Over the next few months, demonstrations continued. And Shell was concerned. The military intervened. Some say that Shell asked them to. Shell denied this. But Ogoni people were injured. By April 1993, Saro-Wiwa had been arrested two times. He said that he was mentally tortured. MOSOP also reported beatings and arrests of Ogoni people. After Saro-Wiwa’s arrest, his health began to suffer. He had serious heart problems. So, he was moved to hospital.
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In May 1994 Nigerian authorities arrested Saro-Wiwa again. They arrested eight other Ogoni MOSOP leaders. The authorities accused them of murder. Saro-Wiwa denied the charges. But in court people supported the criminal evidence against him. The court declared Saro-Wiwa guilty. He was sentenced to death.
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Many human rights organisations criticised the court case. People speaking against Saro-Wiwa later said that the Nigerian government had paid them. But it was too late for Saro-Wiwa and the other eight defendants. On November 10 1995 they were executed. Saro-Wiwa’s death caused international anger. The Commonwealth of Nations suspended Nigeria’s membership.
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Oil company Shell spoke about this case. They claimed to have appealed - for human rights. They said they asked for mercy for Ken Saro Wiwa.
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Oil continues to be at the centre of many problems in the Niger Delta. Militant groups in Nigeria have attacked oil pipelines and foreign workers. They want to see money from the oil invested into their area. The government and oil companies have set up the Niger Delta Development Commission. This is supposed to use oil money to invest in the area. For example investing in schools and health centres - and creating jobs.
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Professor George Frynas, is specialist in Nigeria’s oil industry. He said that dishonesty and poor methods have slowed things down. Very little money has reached the people. Global Issues writer, Anup Shah said;
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‘Oil could have permitted Nigeria to be one of the wealthiest countries in Africa. Instead it led it to become one of the poorest.’
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Meanwhile Ken Saro-Wiwa’s family continues to fight to prove his innocence. His brother, Doctor Owens Wiwa said,
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‘They died for us to get our rights from the Nigerian government. [They fought to get] our rights from the oil companies. They are our heroes. And they will remain our heroes.’
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The writers of today’s programme were Marina Santee and Ruby Jones. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. Computer users can hear our programmes, read our scripts and see our word list on our website at [bad word] /www.radio.english.net. This programme is called, “Ken Saro-Wiwa”.