NIGER DELTA TO BURN OVER SEIZURE OF KEN SARO-WIWA MEMORIAL
BUS
BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.
THE BUS IN CONTENTION AT THE APAPA WHARF IN LAGOS 
Civil Society groups working on environmental related
matters in the Niger Delta axis have disclosed that the zone will know no peace
until the memorial bus which they shipped in from overseas for the celebrations
of the 20th anniversary of famed poet and environmental rights activist, the late Ken
Saro-Wiwa.
In a press conference held in Lagos,officials of the Ogoni
Solidarity Forum in Nigeria and the
Social Action have promised a great showdown with state authorities if the memorabilia
of the late cultural icon of Ogoni land was not released to them sooner than
later.
Mr Celestine Akpobare in his statements went down memory lane
to recall what took place about twenty years ago leading to the death of Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight others
while accusing the government of embarking on an unwarranted aggression.
He lamented the fact that twenty years ago when Mr Saro-Wiwa
was murdered by the state on trumped up charges things were bad but quickly
added that things were even now worse under the present administration.
He disclosed that a recent United Nations related environmental
study on Ogoni land suggested that the people were eating and drinking their
own death each time they drank water or harvest from the soil as the entire
place was heavily polluted.
He assured that as it is now ,people in the area can no
longer fish nor farm and wondered aloud to say that if Saro –Wiwa were to come
back to life once again ,he most probably will wish to die.
He revealed that the contentious bus was shipped into
Nigeria on the 7th of September,2015 and after they were informed of
its presence at the wharf ,he and some of his colleagues went to the wharf to collect
it only to be told by members of the Nigerian Customs that it has being
ordered to be seized from the top.
The whistle blower pointed out that in the last two months
of the incident they had spoken to who is who in Nigerian politics on the matter
so that they can go on with their planned celebrations but sadly the bus in
question has not being released by the Nigerian Federal government .
His words:”somebody told me that Ken Saro-wiwa’s shadow can
kill somebody or even make a man to lose his job and that he does not want to
get involved”
He attacked the leadership for waving all sorts of things for
business moguls like Alhaji Aliko Dangote while Ken Saro-Wiwa’s memorabilia is
made to suffer.
In his own account, Mr Ken Henshaw, Senior Programs Manager,
Social Action said that the bus was
given to them by a foreign charity and was not taxable at all.
He insisted that they were exceptionally surprised that Ken
Saro-Wiwa could be treated in this manner after the way he was killed as they
wanted to use the bus as a symbol of brotherhood while celebrating the life and
times of the environmentalist.
He explained that the state has only provoked the memory of
the deceased activist to anger by seizing the bus which was supposed to be a
resource centre and museum of sort on environmental matters in the future based
on their blueprint.
He warned that if by 9th of November,2015 they
did not have their bus back then the government should be prepared for a
showdown with them as they will grind the whole of Ogoni land to halt.
Mr Henshaw affirmed that the latest measures by the state
was an intentional aggression on Ogoni people as it attempts to stamp out the memories
of Saro-Wiwa from the minds of the people..
He noted that Colonel Hameed Alli,the present Customs boss
was very much in the full knowledge of what took place 20 years ago and was acting a prepared
script.
His words:”The only reason why they refused to allow the bus
enter into Nigeria is because of the inscription on it which says,I accuse the oil
companies of genocide and this were the exact words of Ken Saro-Wiwa”
As at press time,it was learnt that members of the Nigerian
Customs have not gotten in touch with the civil society groups agitating for
the release of the bus
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