By: Israel Umoh
The gleaming spectre of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Nigerian writer, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award appeared and animated literary minds and arenas across the globe on Tuesday, November 10, 25 years after his gruesome execution.
Saro-Wiwa, the Rivers State-born human rights activist was Kangaroo-ed by military Tribunal and hurriedly hanged by the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha in 1995, an action that provoked international outrage and resulted in Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years.
In remembrance of his heroic deeds to humanity and environmental redemption, Uyo Book Club piloted by Dr. Udeme Nana gathered many at the ambient Shakespeare Hall, Watbridge Hotels along Akpa Ube Street, Uyo in Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday to commemorate the ever-living human rights activist.
Let’s Relive Saro-Wiwa’s Dreams In The Niger Delta- Speakers
At the colloquium for Saro-Wiwa, many rolled out the woes of the Niger Delta Region, the despoliation and deprivation of the oil-rich hub, culminating in the rape of natural environment and resources by economic vampires and the successive administrations in the country.
Speakers after speakers spoke on the need for Federal and state government and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta Region to relive his dreams and work towards total development of the region.
They condemned the deplorable circumstances of Ogoniland and other Niger Delta oil-bearing communities- the treasure base of the nation- coupled with the divide-and-rule politics enveloping the region.
They succinctly appealed the Nigerian and state government, oil majors, policy makers and other stakeholders to come to the rescue of the deprived region to make life meaningful for the people.
June 12 Mantra Crusaders Are Hypocrites – Nigerian Legal Expert
A Nigerian legal expert and book publisher saw the crusaders of June 12 mantra in the country as hypocrites because, according to him, they support oppression and injustice of other Nigerians.
June 12, 1993 was a day the late MKO Abiola, the then presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party, won an election generally adjudged by many as the freest in the history of the country.
Ekong Sampson, who is also the immediate Commissioner for Environment and Petroleum Resources in Akwa Ibom State, said Abiola was a good man and believed in bridge building.
He said like Saro-wiwa who believed in justice and economic rights, Abiola did same making it easy for him as his vice presidential candidate as Muslims to be given joint ticket and unanimously elected.
The politician, a PhD holder in Law obtained from the University of Calabar took a swipe at June 12 crusaders for not believing in and practising bridge building process across Nigeria but in themselves and their pockets, noting “They do not believe in ensuring and according basic rights to the rest mostly those dubbed as minorities. In short, they are selfish.”
Sampson the guest speaker sneered at the circumstances that led the execution of Saro-Wiwa and called for the preservation of democracy and by implication a just judicial system. “If it were in democracy, Saro-Wiwa would not have been killed. Major-General Mamman Vatsa and Christopher Okigbo, notable poets, would not have been executed in such dastardly manner.”
“Let us strengthen our judicial system. We must get our legal procedure right. A wrong legal procedure favours nobody. The right of appeal is flawed. Saro-Wiwa was lynched. That must not be accepted. Note this: those who lynched him do not receive acclaims like Ken. Some had died ingloriously,” he remarked.
“If Ken Saro-Wiwa was alive, he would have opposed the Water Resources Bill now lying in the National Assembly for passage. The bill has the potential to further divide us. Oil politics is a complex mix. If Niger Delta is to navigate well the labyrinths must unite. Since we are richly endowed, let us promote regional integration and collaboration among us,” Sampson elucidated.
Niger Delta People Are Completely At A Loss- Varsity Don
Uwemedimo Atakpo, a professor in the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Uyo said “The Niger Delta people, do we have a voice in the world? When I went to the United States of America to present a book in the Theatre of the Oppressed but for the fact that I had videos of some devastated areas and others, the American people did not believe what I said about the region.
Atakpo, a leading discussant at the occasion noted “Until they saw the clips and good enough, Ken Saro-Wiwa’s lady was among the people who invited me to talk about the Niger Delta region. In fact after the assassination of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the trauma that we went through, I wrote this that actually came from the broken heart.
“The problem had not just been because Ken had been executed- the things, the problems he left behind. Today, we talk about Ogoni land, and killings. Who is going to cleanse us then? Who is going to do anything about Ogoni because the people themselves are fighting themselves? There is no peace, there is no oneness and there is nothing one can do to ameliorate that problem.
According to him, “We are finished! The Niger Delta people are completely at a loss. The youths have disappointed us. The youths have not done anything to assist us in the Niger Delta. The youths are returning backwards in thinking. What would they become in being cultists? What would the youths be doing fighting superior forces?
“Not all of us can be into politics. Now if everyone believes they want to be a leader, they would be chaos. I actually wanted to talk about Ken, but I can’t because the seed of anarchy that has already been sown and is growing. I don’t see any solution in sight.”
Atakpo, a publisher, dramatist, poet and film maker, pointed out “I have thought about it, prayed and still haven’t seen. Uyo, for instance, has sold virtually everything to the Igbo and the Igbo don’t believe we are anything. They believe we are nothing and our people are not helping issues because they are playing according to that.
“There is no hope from the youths. Our youths are not helping at all. They believe they want to be there without working for it. The youths cannot even move one step. How do we help our own people? In governance, government is not helping.
“Unfortunately, the self-styled militants in the Niger Delta region are very selfish. They are masquerading as messiahs but they busy settling and fending for themselves in the guise of struggle to reclaim rights for the oppressed and deprived. I have been opportune to have visited them in their house and I was marvelled that they are swimming in opulence.
“Generally, the media are not helping. Even the private media, they would still lie and run away armed robbers which the youths are turning into. A situation like the conference in Port Harcourt, they wanted. a single youth in Akwa Ibom and there was nobody there. In a situation like this, we should just pray for the youths to have a voice and a theme to stand on.”
Poems, Tributes For Saro-Wiwa
Udeme Nana read a poem entitled Speaking out is not treason, Tijah Bolton Akpan of Policy Alert read a poem too in honour of Ken. Dr. Martin Akpan, a literary guru and the state Chairman of Primary Health-Care spoke extensively on the life and times of Saro-Wiwa as the man who facilitated the location of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) to the state.
Major Hogan Ene (retd) hammered on the fading value system, leadership deficit and the poverty epidemic in Akwa Ibom and called on all to put on their thinking caps to restore “our glory and pride to the land” fast eroded by degrading values.
Nkenefo Efo, a one-time press secretary to Patrick Ekpotu, Akwa Ibom then Akwa Ibom deputy governor, decried the leadership deficit in the region even among the present crop of Governors, betrayal of people and depreciating value system among the youths in the region and called for redress.
Epitaph
I recall, many years ago as a young child, reading in a newspaper of an African leader who stood on the grave of a dead lieutenant and through his tears said: Africa kills her sons. I don’t know what he meant by that, and though I’ve thought about it long enough, I’ve not been able to unravel the full mystery of those words.
Now, today, this moment, they come flooding back to me. And I want to borrow from him. I’d like you to put this on my gravestone as an epitaph: ‘Africa Kills Her Sun.’ A good epitaph, eh? Cryptic. Definite. A stroke of genius, I should say. I’m sure you’ll agree with me. ‘Africa Kills Her Sun!’ That’s why she’d been described as the Dark Continent? Yes?
So, now, dear girl, I’m done. My heart is light as the daylight which seeps stealthily into our dark cell. I hear the prison guard jangle his keys, put them into the keyhole. Soon he’ll turn it and call us out. Our time is up. My time expires and I must send you all my love. Goodbye.
Yours forever,
Bana
Culled from Africa Kills Her Sons by Ken Saro-Wiwa
