No fewer than 10 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have renewed calls for a thorough and transparent cleanup of Ogoniland, as part of activities commemorating the life, struggles, and judicial murder of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Chairman of the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Anniversary Planning Committee, said the activist’s legacy continues to remind the world that “any economy built without fairness and human dignity is unsustainable.”
He lamented that 30 years after Saro-Wiwa’s death, the injustice he denounced persists, as Ogoniland remains polluted and communities remain trapped in poverty.
“Ogoniland is still covered by toxic oil spills, making farming, fishing, and land use impossible. Rivers remain contaminated; gas continues to burn toxic smoke into the lungs of children and elders. Life expectancy keeps dropping,” Bassey said.
He accused oil corporations and their collaborators of profiting while communities starve, stressing that the cries for justice cannot be silenced.
Mr. Celestine Akpobari, Director of Miideekor Environmental Development Initiative, said the cleanup must not be reduced to “cosmetic reports.”
“Every drop of spilled oil must be accounted for; every community healed; every life restored. The cleanup must be scientific, transparent, independently monitored, and fully inclusive of local communities,” he said, adding that water sources must be detoxified, mangroves regenerated, and farmlands restored.
Dr. Prince Edegbuo, Resource Justice Manager at Social Action, noted that justice means prioritising the rights of communities to clean air, safe water, and unpolluted soil.
“Justice requires rejecting policies that sacrifice communities on the altar of profit. Above all, it means ensuring that community voices guide decisions about their land and resources, so they are never again treated as expendable,” he stated.
Also speaking, Mr. Ebiaridor, Coordinator of OilWatch International, called for the protection—not persecution—of environmental and human rights defenders, warning against silencing dissenting voices.
The NGOs jointly demanded the immediate demilitarisation of the Niger Delta and an end to attempts to resume oil operations in Ogoniland.
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“We are aware of ongoing negotiations aimed at reopening extractive activities in our communities. We strongly reject this,” they declared.
The NGOs include Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Miideekor Environmental Development Initiative, Social Action, OilWatch International, among others.
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