Nigeria Grants Posthumous Pardon to Activist Saro-Wiwa
Above: Protesters hold up Ken Saro-Wiwa signs in London on Nov. 10, 2022. Image copyright: Martin Pope/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
President Tinubu’s pardon of the Ogoni Nine marks a profound moment of justice and national healing. It recognizes that their execution was a grave wrong and restores dignity to heroes who gave their lives for truth and environmental justice. This bold act is not just a correction of history — it is a celebration of courage, conscience, and overdue redemption.
Government-critical narrative
President Tinubu's pardon of the Ogoni Nine, largely a symbolic act, stops far short of true justice. It wrongly suggests guilt where there was none. Without full exoneration and a formal repudiation of their sham convictions, the stain of injustice remains. Only a clear acknowledgment of innocence and corporate accountability can begin to heal what history so grievously scarred.