Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana, has said that he would convene a team of lawyers to commence a legal onslaught against oil companies that have polluted and abandoned their host communities in the Niger Delta.
He insisted that communities producing the oil that sustains Nigeria’s economy deserve to live comfortably with all basic amenities provided, not in poverty and neglect.
Falana made this known in Port Harcourt during the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Memorial Lecture, organised by a coalition of environmental civil society leaders on Friday.
The memorial lecture, held at the Banquet Hall of Hotel Presidential, brought together environmental advocates, human rights defenders, and community representatives.
The occasion marked 30 years since the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other MOSOP leaders by the Abacha regime in 1995. The theme of the lecture was “Ken Saro-Wiwa – The Man, His Legacies, Struggles and Challenges.”
The purpose was twofold: to honour the memory of Saro-Wiwa’s activism and to renew calls for accountability, environmental remediation, and the fulfillment of the Ogoni Bill of Rights.
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Falana’s keynote address was forceful and unflinching. Among his strongest assertions: “Ken and his comrades did not commit murder. Please take it from me.”
“What happened was that the Abacha regime decided, ‘We’re going to deal with MOSOP led by Ken,’ and the only way to do it was to allow Shell to continue exploiting Ogoni resources… and to charge your leaders for murder.”
He alleged that the trial and execution of the Ogoni Nine were not acts of justice but tools of state coercion: “The Nigerian State decided… to deal with MOSOP led by Ken… to charge your leaders for murder.”
Extending his critique to contemporary times, Falana tied the past injustices to ongoing environmental neglect. He demanded that polluted host communities be restored, saying they merit basic amenities and dignity rather than continued deprivation.
He also stressed the legal front, pledging to mobilize lawyers and file lawsuits against firms responsible for pollution.
Falana revealed that legal action had already been launched in London on behalf of the Oghale-Eleme community, long impacted by oil operations.
Other speakers at the memorial joined in the call for accountability. Nnimmo Bassey condemned the idea of resuming oil production before environmental restoration.
“We cannot talk about resuming oil production when the land and water are still poisoned.”
Celestine Akpobari emphasized Saro-Wiwa’s enduring relevance and the need for environmental justice.
Activists underscored that the people of the Niger Delta, despite fueling Nigeria’s wealth, continue to suffer from neglect, pollution, and lack of infrastructure.
Akpobari and his counterpart, Ken Henshaw, Executive Director of We the People, aligned with Bassey’s thoughts, urging the federal government to forget about oil exploration in Ogoni until the recommendations in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report have been thoroughly met and the Ogoni Bill of Rights fulfilled.
The gathering drew activists, policymakers, and community leaders who renewed calls for environmental justice in the Niger Delta.
