Abuja, FCT – In a monumental act of reconciliation marking this year’s Democracy Day, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday granted a full presidential pardon and conferred posthumous national honours upon the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, collectively known as the Ogoni Nine. This significant gesture aims to address historical grievances and underscore a commitment to justice.
The Ogoni Nine, including Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine, were executed in 1995 by the military administration of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, following murder accusations widely regarded as politically motivated.
This decision aligns with President Tinubu’s pledge made in November 2024 to bridge historical divides within Nigeria. The granting of pardons and honours on Democracy Day—a public holiday declared by the Tinubu administration in June of the previous year to commemorate Nigeria’s democratic turning point—lends profound symbolic weight to the announcement.
Beyond the Ogoni Nine, President Tinubu also extended posthumous national honours to other prominent figures who championed Nigeria’s democratic struggle and national development. These include the late Kudirat Abiola, Bola Ige, former Nigerian President Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and various other distinguished nationalists.
This act of national remembrance and reconciliation on such a pivotal day in Nigeria’s democratic calendar signals the administration’s intent to acknowledge past injustices and foster a more inclusive national narrative.
