Ogoni leaders, environmental activists, and community advocates have renewed calls on the United Nations to officially declare October 10 as Ken Saro-Wiwa Day to honour the late writer, environmentalist, and human rights defender. Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed on November 10, 1995, by the late General Sani Abacha’s military regime for his struggle against environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
They made the call in a statement obtained in Uyo on Sunday after his 84th posthumous birthday celebration, which was held in his hometown, Bane, in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State on Friday
The event, organised by the Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation, drew participants from across the Niger Delta, civil society organisations, youth groups, and local communities who gathered to honour the memory of the Ogoni icon and to recommit themselves to the values he lived and died for.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation, Barry Wugale, emphasised the need for global recognition of Saro-Wiwa’s contributions to human rights and environmental justice.
He recalled that in 2005, during the 10th anniversary of Saro-Wiwa’s execution, the environmental community had made a similar call to the United Nations and said it was time for that demand to be renewed.
“Today, we are renewing that appeal, that the UN should set aside October 10 as Ken Saro-Wiwa Day to immortalise a man whose vision and sacrifice transcend borders,” Wugale said.
He explained that the Foundation operates on six thematic pillars, literacy and literature, activism through art, environmental renewal, the future economy, technology and innovation, and partnerships — all inspired by Saro-Wiwa’s ideals.
Wugale also revealed that the Foundation was working to revive the Ogoni leader’s unrealised dreams, including a community microfinance initiative for women and an international model secondary school in Bane.
“Saro-Wiwa believed that no Ogoni child should be left behind. He was a man who planned 20 years ahead of his time,” he noted. “We will ensure that his vision of education, environmental justice, and community-driven progress becomes reality.”
In his remarks, Comrade Lekia Christian, President of the Niger Delta Coalition Against Violence, described Ken Saro-Wiwa as a rare visionary whose works and intellectual courage continue to inspire resistance against oppression and injustice.
According to him, “Ken Saro-Wiwa was a man of ideas and conviction. He used the power of words and intellect to awaken a generation. Many of his books are still used by students and professionals across the world,” he said.
Christian lamented that despite Saro-Wiwa’s global stature, his memory and teachings risk being overshadowed by political divisions and public apathy.
“We will not give up. It doesn’t matter how small our beginnings are — this celebration must continue,” he vowed.
“We are not using his name to seek personal gain; we are keeping his ideals alive. Ken Saro-Wiwa’s struggle was for truth, peace, and self-determination, and that must remain our guiding light.”
PUNCH Online reports that the call comes after President Bola Tinubu posthumously pardoned the Ogoni nine, including Saro-Wiwa and declared honoured for four other victims.
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