Thirty-one years after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, the people of Ogoniland have renewed their call for justice and the recovery of the remains of the Ogoni Four — Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, Samuel Orage, and Albert Badey. The Gokana Unity Forum and families of the victims urged the government to retrieve the corpses for a dignified burial, saying it is key to true reconciliation. Former Minister Kenneth Kobani, son of one of the victims, emphasized forgiveness but insisted that peace must be built on truth and justice. The youth also called for full implementation of the Ogoni Bill of Rights and an end to political marginalisation in Rivers State.

Falana vows legal action against oil companies over Niger Delta pollution.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Femi Falana, has vowed to convene a team of lawyers to begin a legal action against oil companies that have polluted and abandoned their host communities in the Niger Delta.

The human rights lawyer made this vow on Friday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, during the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Memorial Lecture, organised by a coalition of environmental civil society leaders

According to him, communities producing the oil that sustains Nigeria’s economy deserve to live comfortably with all basic amenities provided, not in poverty and neglect.

The event, put together by a coalition of environmental activists, was held in honour of the 84th posthumous birthday of late environmental and human-rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed alongside eight others 30 years ago for alleged treasonable felony and recently granted state pardon and honours.

The event also drew activists, policymakers and community leaders who renewed calls for environmental justice in the Niger Delta.

The senior lawyer explained that multinational oil companies have profited from Nigeria’s natural resources while leaving host communities in the Niger Delta impoverished and devastated.

Other speakers at the memorial, including Nnimmo Bassey, urged government agencies to hold defaulting oil firms accountable and prioritise a full cleanup of Ogoniland.

For civil society groups, the legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa remains a rallying point for justice and environmental restoration across the Niger Delta.

They warned that anything short of calling for a halt to oil resumption talks in Ogoniland without extensive cleanup, would amount to wasting the sacrifice of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his comrades.

Khana Traditional Rulers Back Tinubu On HYPREP Board Appointment, Others
By Deborah Agbalama | Updated September 4, 2025

The Khana Local Government Traditional Rulers’ Council has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Ogoni indigenes into key national positions, including the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) Board of Trustees.

In a communiqué signed by Chairman HRM Swano Lumani after a press briefing in Bori, the council said the appointments reflect the wishes of the people and pledged full support for Mr. Emmanuel Nwiika Deeyah as Chairman of the Ogoni Trust Fund (HYPREP).

They also commended Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Ogoniland and naming Prof. Don Baridam as Pro-Chancellor.

The council congratulated Bariere Thomas on his emergence as Khana LGA Chairman, urging him and the councillors to run an inclusive government.

The rulers warned against sustained media attacks on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Deeyah, and other Ogoni leaders, stressing that such actions would attract sanctions.

HYPREP yet to attain 80% restoration of Ogoni polluted environment.

Various claims and reports have continued to trail the ongoing cleanup exercise in Ogoni land, Rivers State, being handled by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) .

Former Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, in June 2016, flagged off the remediation exercise. However, on May 25, 2025, the Africa Independent Television (AIT), and some media outlets reported that the remediation of the Ogoni land at the Centre of Excellence and Environmental Restoration is almost 80 per cent completed and has attracted various partnerships from within the country and international communities, including the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Peter Ryan, who was at the HYPREP office in Port Harcourt, seeking partnership with the agency.

The report, since then, has sparked controversies, especially on X space with many X users commending the efforts of President Bola Tinubu while others described it as ‘propaganda,’ stating that the President wants to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland, hence, the claim.

An X user, with the handle, @TheLionkin6627, said: “Your interest is to suck their oil, you don’t care about them (the Ogoni).” Another user, @proudnaijaguyy, said: “PBAT na talk and do” while George Damian, said, “We play with figures too much in Nigeria.”

Concerned by the controversies generated by the report, The Guardian conducted an on-the-ground assessment of the current situation of the Ogoni cleanup exercise, which revealed that the exercise is still far from attaining 80 per cent completion