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Why October 10 should be declared Ken Saro-Wiwa Day – Ogoni leaders
Community figures from Ogoni, along with environmental campaigners and local representatives, have once again urged the United Nations (UN) to designate October 10 as an official day to commemorate the late author, eco-activist, and advocate for human rights, Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Saro-Wiwa faced execution on November 10, 1995, under the administration of the late General Sani Abacha, due to his non-violent efforts to combat ecological harm in the Niger Delta region.
This latest push appeared in a declaration obtained in Uyo on Sunday, after the 84th birthday tribute to the activist, which took place on Friday in his birthplace of Bane, within Khana Local Government Area in Rivers State.
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Hosted by the Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation, the gathering drew attendees from various parts of the Niger Delta, such as nonprofit groups, young people’s associations, and regional figures, all coming together to pay respects to the Ogoni legend and renew their pledge to his core principles.
During the proceedings, Barry Wugale, the Foundation’s Director-General, highlighted the importance of worldwide acknowledgment for Saro-Wiwa’s work in advancing rights and ecological fairness.
“Today, we are renewing our appeal for the United Nations to set aside October 10 as Ken Saro-Wiwa Day to immortalise a man whose vision and sacrifice transcend borders,” Wugale said.
He mentioned that an identical request originated in 2005, marking the decade since Saro-Wiwa’s death, and argued that the moment had arrived to revive this international effort.
Wugale outlined that the foundation operates under six key areas—literacy and literature, activism through art, environmental renewal, the future economy, technology and innovation, and partnerships—all rooted in Saro-Wiwa’s philosophy.
Additionally, he revealed initiatives to resurrect some of Saro-Wiwa’s incomplete projects, like a microfinance program for women in the community and a model high school in Bane with global standards.
“Saro-Wiwa believed that no Ogoni child should be left behind. He was a man who planned 20 years ahead of his time. We are determined to bring his vision of education, environmental justice, and community-driven progress to life,” Wugale said.
In his address, Lekia Christian, head of the Niger Delta Coalition Against Violence, portrayed Saro-Wiwa as an exceptional thinker whose bravery and wisdom still fuel global fights for equity.
“Ken Saro-Wiwa was a man of ideas and conviction. He used the power of words to awaken a generation. Many of his writings remain relevant to students and professionals globally,” Christian said.
He expressed regret that Saro-Wiwa’s worldwide influence could be diminished by internal politics and lack of public interest.
“We will not give up. It doesn’t matter how small our beginnings are — this celebration must continue,” he vowed.
“We are not using his name for personal gain; we are keeping his ideals alive. Ken Saro-Wiwa’s struggle was for truth, peace, and self-determination — and that must remain our guiding light.”
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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