Date Published: 12/06/09

RE: Saro-Wiwa vs. SPDC: Effect of Disinformation in Ogoniland By Ben Wuloo Ikari

Odimegwu Onwumere:

I write to address some of the issues you have raised, especially the lies credited to you in the article published on Pointblanknews.com. It is  titled "Saro-Wiwa vs. SPDC:Effect of Disinformation in Ogoniland," dated Nov. 24, 2009. But, to commence, may I know what kind of poet you claim to be; are you a lying or  poet of doom? I thought poets were meant to be custodians of the conscience of society. Oh, you even have something to do with children, being the founder of "Poet Against Child Abuse, " (PACA). May be the  "poet" here is just the name of your business. I hope you are not abusing these kids yourself considering the uncircumsized lies you have told in this unbaked and propaganding piece. Remember that a liar can not be an activist; therefore your prevarication has cast huge doubt on your background hence credibility. Your action is a big misstep, lying against the person of Ken Saro-Wiwa who helped pull decades of debris from the eyes of Nigerians and set a path that allows you to be bold speaking your mind. How do you feel lie-telling a story well known to the world?

Meanwhile, you seems to have some issues against Ken Saro-Wiwa, the world-class poet, environmentalist; the foremost minority rights crusader; the 1995 winner of the Goldman Environmnental Award, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee among others. If you do not mind, what are the real issues you have with Saro-Wiwa that make you rub this depth of faeces on yourself? I am not sure where you come from; though your names sounds Ikwere or Igbo, which concludes you are not Ogoni-just may be. Saro-Wiwa stands tall even in death amongst real people who care about the rights of the under-privileged, oppressed, and the environment. He started fighting by writing on behalf of Ogoni while a 17-year-old boy. And took up the task of saving Ogoni and others of present Rivers State from the Jack-boot of Odumegwu Ojukwu's Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970.

Some of the men you shamelessly and unsubstantively accused him of misinforming the Ogoni youths about were on the Biafran side. They were without reservation rehabilitated by Saro-Wiwa, who later became the first administrator for Bonny after the war. He held these respected men in high esteem, but like all human beings disagreed to agree with them on issues affecting Ogoni and the larger society. He was a man of peace, of ideas and honor, and no cheap blackmail such as yours will scratch his achievements and what honest people around the world knew him for. The consciousness in Niger Delta, Nigeria and Africa in general concerning minorities, the environment were made possible by his work. His works on the environment about gas flaring, climate changes and global warming have also impacted the world. Even your ability to found PACA is due to the sacrifice he made. He had nothing whatsoever to do with the killing of May 21, 1994.

He was not present at the scene of crime, but was returned from campaigning anywhere in Ogoni for the botched Constitutional Conference he registered as candidate. His money was no doubt accepted. He was stopped  because the state government under former Military Governor Dauda Musa Komo had sealed a plan handed him by the Federal Government and $hell Oil, as was made manifest in the Paul Okuntimo's restricted memo to target Ogoni leaders (which included the Ogoni 4) and MOSOP as a way to dislodge the mass movement launched by Saro-Wiwa for oil to flow unhindered. Have you ever considered the fact that the Nigerian Armed Forces were already occupying Ogoni; and that Komo promised the deceased chiefs-who were lured to government's side-military protection as was reported by the disbanded Sunray Newspaper?

How could the defenseless, armless youths of Ogoni overpower the Nigerian Armed Forces to murder their leaders, elders and brothers "and took their lifeless bodies away since May 1994 till date?," according to you. I hope you are not kidding yourself by attempting to become relevant with frivolous account of a globally known case? You erroneously compared former President Bush's Iraqi terrorist act to Saro-Wiwa's innocence when you lied saying "That was the same way the Ken Saro-Wiwa Misinformation Ministry brainwashed the Ogoni that Mr. Albert Badey and the other three that summed-up the Ogoni-4 were hatching ideas that were capable of setting the Ogoni people back." If I may ask, what were the exact talking points or storylines that summed the alleged ideas you lied about; and where/when were these ideas broached? You also lied that "Albert Badey was killed by youths allegedly loyal to Saro-Wiwa," and lied again that "Mr. Albert Badey was captured and killed with his body carried away by Saro-Wiwa-led Ogoni 'government'."

Lastly, at one point you seemed naive about the subject you are writing and at another you sounded extra-confused. Who were these youths alleged to have been loyal to Saro-Wiwa and when was the Saro-Wiwa-led Ogoni government established? I am Ogoni, and can not recall any time Ogoni was declared separate from River State or Nigeria to have its government. I believe you also confusingly said it all, when you alluded to the fact that $hell finally accepted responsibility for its genocidal crimes against Ogoni when it paid $15.5 million to settle the human rights violations it previously denied. The crimes of $hell in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria were the issues Saro-Wiwa raised and he was killed. These crimes also included the government-designed "wasting operations," which took the lives of the Ogoni 4. The Okuntimo's  recommendations to the company as a drastic measure necessary to force economic activities back in Ogoni.

Mind you $hell made this payment to accept its guilt against the Ogoni people, but specifically for the Human Rights Violations Lawsuit filed by ten Ogoni families alone. If you were smarter than a second grader you would know that Saro-Wiwa was no longer alive when the suit was filed, and should have understood legal matters and their intricacies. Saro-Wiwa's son and brother decided to introduce this case to the other 8 families. Those who joined in the suit were eligible for settlement during that period, and have set the precedent for other Ogonis/Niger Deltans to follow. But in your usual manner you lied that Saro-Wiwa's family took this money and left the rest families who were also killed, etc. behind. If you must know, six members of the Ogoni Nine families were involved in the suit. The other four that made ten were Ogonis who were wrongfully maimed, arrested, detained and tortured, etc. The last three of the original nine were convinced/deceived and confused not to participate in the suit. This was because, according to the report, Ledum Mitee, who betrayed the nine and a lair like you told them the case would not go anywhere without him. You can attest it did went somewhere without him!

 Note, if you must know, that he was not part of the case even when contacted yet he claims he was arrested, detained and tortured. And more importantly, as the MOSOP-life president he dreamt to be, he  refused to join in a suit he should have championed, if not for his complicity. Today, these three families are struggling to be part of the second suit against $hell sitting in the same Third District Court of New York. Well, if you are a true poet and not the lair that could be dangerous to the children you claim to represent, get your facts right and retell a known story any 6-year-old Ogoni can tell while sleeping. And please endeavor to brush away the bad sputum of lies so spread about Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni people. They will not stick not minding how you and your likes try.