A coalition of over 10 civil society groups from across the country has called on the Federal Government to exonerate Niger Delta environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight other Ogoni men hanged in 1995 by the then military government led by Gen Sani Abacha.

The activists, led by the Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr Nnimmo Bassey, at a briefing in Lagos, yesterday, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the hanging of the activists, insisted that the Ogoni Nine do not need pardon, as "they did not disobey any known law".

They also urged the government to mandate the oil companies to clean up the oil mess, asserting that even $1 trillion is insufficient to clean the oil spill.

According to them, the Ogoni Nine, who leveraged the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) to confront Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) over degradation of Ogoniland, were murdered because they exposed oppression and questioned a mindless establishment.

President Bola Tinubu, while marking Democracy Day on June 12, 2025, announced a Presidential pardon for Saro-Wiwa and the eight others and conferred posthumous national honours on them.

While Saro-Wiwa got Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) was conferred on Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel and John Kpuine.

Other groups in the coalition include Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Environmental Rights Action (ERA)/Friends of the Earth NIGERIA (FOEN), Kebetkache Women Development and Resources Centre, OilWatch International, Social Action, Miidekor Environmental Development Initiative, We The People, Lekeh Development Foundation, and Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre).

In a statement, they demanded a thorough and transparent clean-up of Ogoniland and the entire Niger Delta, accountability from multinational oil companies, justice for impacted communities, decriminalisation of shared struggles and the focus on other mineral resources apart from oil.

Bassey, who is also Chairman of Ken Saro-Wiwa's 30th Anniversary Committee, added: "These are not mere demands; they are Saro-Wiwa's unfinished business. Thirty years after his judicial murder, his struggle is still alive.

"Money is not the issue; we need the commitment to clean up Ogoniland. Government cannot escape its responsibility." For the Director, Miidekor Environmental Development Initiative, Celestine Akpobari, the $1 billion recommended by the United Nations Development Programme (UNEP) is not enough to clean up Ogoniland; it is just a take-off fund.

"By now, a study should be going on in other Niger delta states for remediation," he said, adding, "It is now time to exonerate Saro-Wiwa and call those who incited his killing and are still walking freely to justice."

The Executive Director, We the People, Ken Henshaw, described the Niger Delta situation as a national emergency. He said that if the government does not call back the oil companies divesting their assets to assess the impact of their exploration activities, then the government should take responsibility.