Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s posthumous pardon and conferment of national honours on Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists, but insists that the gesture must go beyond symbolism to deliver genuine reparations, environmental justice, and healing for Ogoni people.
In a statement issued by CAPPA’s Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, the organization described the presidential pardon—announced during the June 12 Democracy Day address—as a historic step aligned with the 30th anniversary of the execution of the Ogoni 9.
“This is a moment of reckoning,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA. “But a pardon alone cannot erase the injustice. True tribute demands that President Tinubu back his words with decisive action that includes a complete environmental cleanup and the enforcement of corporate accountability.”
Ken Saro-Wiwa, a renowned writer and environmental activist, was executed in 1995 alongside eight other Ogoni leaders after a controversial trial under the Abacha military regime. The group had led peaceful resistance against environmental degradation caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta, particularly by Shell and other major oil companies.
CAPPA emphasized that, 30 years on, the environmental and social conditions in Ogoni Land remain dire. Despite a 2011 UNEP report highlighting extreme pollution and recommending a $1 billion clean-up effort, implementation remains sluggish.
“Many remediation sites remain barren, and funds meant for the cleanup have been either underdelivered or mismanaged,” Oluwafemi stated, noting that only $572 million of the $900 million pledged by oil companies for the Ogoni Trust Fund has been disbursed to date. The Nigerian government has also failed to contribute its N100 billion counterpart fund, hiding behind the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) as its proxy.
CAPPA also criticized the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), accusing it of awarding cleanup contracts to unqualified firms and failing to deliver on key milestones, including safe water access and restored farmlands.
Beyond cleanup, the organization is calling for a legally binding moratorium on oil exploration in Ogoni Land, direct compensation to affected communities, and long-term investments in renewable energy and agro-ecology to rebuild livelihoods.
“The pardon must not become a smokescreen for renewed drilling or cosmetic reforms,” the statement read. “The Ogoni 9 gave their lives for justice. This is the time for restitution—not rhetoric.”
CAPPA urged President Tinubu to seize the moment by institutionalizing a transparent reparations process, ensuring environmental remediation is verified by independent experts, civil society, and local communities.
“Anything less would be a betrayal of both the legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the spirit of June 12,” the group concluded.