A rally organized by a faction of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) to mark the 30th anniversary of the execution of the group’s founder, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight others, recorded a low turnout on Monday in Rivers State.
The event took place at the Peace and Freedom Park within the MOSOP secretariat in Bori, despite the poor attendance and reports of parallel commemorations held by other Ogoni groups across the region. The rally was part of a week-long remembrance of the 1995 execution that drew global outrage and spotlighted environmental injustice in the Niger Delta.
Speaking at the event, Professor Olu-Andah Wai-Ogosu, who leads one of the MOSOP factions, expressed disappointment over the declining participation in MOSOP activities, noting that the once-united movement had been a strong voice in the fight for Ogoni rights and environmental justice.
According to Mediaplusng.com, the professor thanked those who took part in the series of events that marked the anniversary, including a public lecture, wreath-laying ceremony, and visits to families of unsung heroes who died during military crackdowns in the early years of the Ogoni struggle.
He called on Ogoni youths and leaders to revive the spirit of unity that once defined the movement and continue the peaceful advocacy for environmental restoration and justice in the region.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the remembrance of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues—collectively known as the “Ogoni Nine”—remains a powerful symbol of resistance against environmental degradation and human rights abuses in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta.
