Canada-based political consultant, Joe Korka-Waadah, has called on the Federal Government to formally exonerate environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders executed in 1995.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Korka-Waadah, Executive Director of the Compassionate Heart Foundation (CHF), argued that the Ogonis seek a total exoneration rather than a pardon, as they maintain the Ogoni Nine committed no crime.
While Korka-Waadah noted that the community had moved toward accepting the resumption of oil exploration, he stressed that the implementation of the Ogoni Bill of Rights remained a non-negotiable condition. “The condition is simple: exonerate Ken Saro-Wiwa and the others who were brutally hanged by the Nigerian State, and implement the Ogoni Bill of Rights,” he stated.
Korka-Waadah also appealed to President Bola Tinubu for more equitable distribution of federal appointments among the four Ogoni Local Government Areas (Khana, Gokana, Tai, and Eleme). He alleged that recent strategic appointments had been concentrated in one LGA (Gokana), urging the presidency to ensure fairness to maintain harmony as the government seeks a “soft landing” for the resumption of petroleum activities in the region.
Credit: Sun
