In a historic move during his Democracy Day address to a joint session of the National Assembly, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the conferment of national honours and a posthumous pardon to renowned environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight other members of the Ogoni Eight, executed by the military regime in 1995.
President Tinubu awarded Ken Saro-Wiwa the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) and extended the same honour to his fellow Ogoni Eight activists: Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine—each receiving the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
The president also invoked his constitutional powers under the prerogative of mercy to grant the group a full presidential pardon. He stated that the names of other individuals deserving pardon would be released subsequently in conjunction with the National Council of State.
“This nation must confront its past, correct historical wrongs, and heal the wounds of injustice. Today, I exercise my powers of mercy to grant a full pardon to these national heroes,” Tinubu declared to thunderous applause in the National Assembly.
Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight were executed under the Abacha regime for their environmental and human rights activism in the oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta region, sparking global outrage and sanctions at the time. Their deaths became a defining symbol of repression and environmental injustice in Nigeria’s democratic history.
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The announcement marks the first time a sitting Nigerian president has not only publicly honoured but also offered a state pardon to the Ogoni Eight, a move widely seen as a major gesture of national reconciliation.
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