by Adebayo Emuleomo

Today we remember one of our own, a true hero, the definition of a selfless activist, a patriot by all standards and a Nigerian who died 20 years ago.

Ken Saro Wiwa, a hero not only in Nigeria but through the whole world, was in many ways more than just an average man.

We bring you 10 key facts that you should know about him as we remember his selfless and patriotic deeds for Ogoniland and Nigeria.

1. Ken Saro-Wiwa, son of Ogoni chieftain Jim Wiwa, was born on October 10, 1942. He attended Government college in Umuahia where he excelled and got a scholarship to study English at University of Ibadan.

2. Ken Saro-Wiwa was an accomplished novelist, businessman and television producer. Some of his novels include Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English and On A Darkling Plain. He also produced a satirical tv series that grossed over 30million estimated viewers titled Basi and Company.

3. In the early 1970’s, Saro-Wiwa served as a regional commissioner for education in the Rivers state cabinet but was relieved for his constant and outspoken support for Ogoni autonomy. He was later appointed by Ibrahim Babangida to aid the preparations of the country into a democratic regime.

4. He resigned from his federal appointment on claims that Ibrahim Babangida was not sincere with his transition plans. His claims were validated when power was not handed over by the military government.

5. Away from all of his personal successes, Saro-Wiwa became an environmental activist and initially a spokesperson for Movement for the Survivial for the Ogoni People (MOSOP) before subsequently becoming President. For his activism on the oil-spill and environmental challenges faced by Ogoni land, Saro-Wiwa won the Goldman environmental prize.

6. MOSOP primarily opposed the many illegal practices of the Royal Dutch Shell Company and the other oil companies whose unregulated activities led a lot of environmental damages and degradation for the communities in the Niger Delta.

7. In 1993, Saro-Wiwa with 8 other MOSOP chiefs were arrested and tried for the murder of 4 Ogoni chiefs.

8. Ken Saro-Wiwa denied involvement in the murders as well as his fellow MOSOP comrades.

9. He was found guilty, in what a lot of observers described as a show-trial by the Nigerian government who was in connivance with Shell to keep the activist quiet.

10. On 10 November 1995, Saro-Wiwa and eight other MOSOP leaders were killed by hanging at the hands of military personnel amidst protest and outcry from the international community. Their deaths led to Nigeria’s suspension from Commonwealth Nations for over three years.

We will always remember our heroes.

Kolapo Olapoju