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The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. - Politics - Nairaland

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The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Deadlytruth(m): 9:27am On Jun 03, 2016
Ken Saro-Wiwa's Final Statement to Military Tribunal

13 November, 1995

Date: Mon, 13 Nov 95 23:01:00 PSTM

My lord,

We all stand before history. I am a man of peace, of ideas. Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly endowed land, distressed by their political marginalization and economic strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life and to a decent living, and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intiidated. I have no doubt at all about the ultimate success of my cause, no matter the trials and tribulations which I and those who believe with me may encounter on our journey. Nor imprisonment nor death can stop our ultimate victory.

I repeat that we all stand before history. I and my colleagues are not the only ones on trial. Shell is here on trial and it is as well that it is represented by counsel said to be holding a watching brief. The Company has, indeed, ducked this particular trial, but its day will surely come and the lessons learnt here may prove useful to it for there is no doubt in my mind that the ecological war that the Company has waged in the Delta will be called to question sooner than later and the crimes of that war be duly punished. The crime of the Company's dirty wars against the Ogoni people will also be punshed.

On trial also is the Nigerian nation, its present rulers and those who assist them. Any nation which can do to the weak and disadvantaged what the Nigerian nation has done to the Ogoni, loses a claim to independence and to freedom from outside influence. I am not one of those who shy away from proesting injustice and oppression, arguing that they are expected in a military regime. The military do not act alone. They are supported by a gaggle of politicians, lawyers, judges, academics and businessmen, all of them hiding under the claim that they are only doing their duty, men and women too afraid to wash their pants of urine. We all stand on trial, my lord, for by our actions we have denigrated our Country and jeapordized the future of our children. As we subscribe to the sub-normal and accept double standards, as we lie and cheat openly, as we protect injustice and oppression, we empty our classrooms, denigrate our hospitals, fill our stomachs with hunger and elect to make ourselves the slaves of those who ascribe to higher standards, pursue the truth, and honour justice, freedom, and hard work. I predict that the scene here will be played and replayed by generations yet unborn. Some have already cast themselves in the role of villains, some are tragic victims, some still have a chance to redeem themselves. The choice is for each individual.

I predict that the denoument of the riddle of the Niger delta will soon come. The agenda is being set at this trial. Whether the peaceful ways I have favoured will prevail depends on what the oppressor decides, what signals it sends out to the waiting public.

In my innocence of the false charges I face Here, in my utter conviction, I call upon the Ogoni people, the peoples of the Niger delta, and the oppressed ethnic minorities of Nigeria to stand up now and fight fearlessly and peacefully for their rights. History is on their side. God is on their side. For the Holy Quran says in Sura 42, verse 41: 'All those that fight when oppressed incur no guilt, but Allah shall punish the oppressor.' Come the day.

--Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa



http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/34a/020.html

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by mofayodeyahoo: 10:01am On Jun 03, 2016
Keep record one day the record you keep will keep you, dis can never repeat itself again in Nigeria. No wonder abacha did not go home, as he can not free him

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Ewizard(m): 10:19am On Jun 03, 2016
Your efforts shall not go unrewarded...

Niger Deltans have made dier choice and d fight for dier right has fully begun, deres no goin back.

In d name of peace dey settled for less dan dey deserved, and in turn got less dan wat dey settled for.

R.I.P Ken Saro Wiwa!

116 Likes 10 Shares

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Bondesniger(m): 11:01am On Jun 03, 2016
FOOD FOR THOUGHT


NIJA SEE THAT

16 Likes 3 Shares

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by temptnow: 11:04am On Jun 03, 2016
Northerners are bad.

46 Likes 4 Shares

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by banom(m): 11:39am On Jun 03, 2016
prophetic

14 Likes 1 Share

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by macluvph1(m): 11:40am On Jun 03, 2016
Ken Saro Wiwa rest in peace.

20 Likes 5 Shares

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by SWG25: 11:45am On Jun 03, 2016
For the Holy Quran says in Sura 42, verse 41: "All those who fight, when oppressed incur no guilt, but Allah shall punish the oppressor."

Can we comfortably say that Allah is in support of the Avengers? grin

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Deadlytruth(m): 11:50am On Jun 03, 2016
Ewizard:
Your efforts shall not go unrewarded...

Niger Deltans have made dier choice and d fight for dier right has fully begun, deres no goin back.

In d name of peace dey settled for less dan dey deserved, and in turn got less dan wat dey settled for.

R.I.P Ken Saro Wiwa!

It was actually myopic on their path to settle for injustice in the name of working for peace. Such peace is usually very elusive and counterproductive.
Whoever sacrifices and trades away justice and equity on the altar of seeking peace and "national unity" will later have to have his own rights abused and his blood shed to sustain that peace while he himself will perpetually be in search of that justice he traded away. Such is why Niger Delta has paid dearly for that "peace" and has till today still not been able to restore the justice and equity they traded away.

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Nobody: 11:59am On Jun 03, 2016
That day is finally here...ur death shall not be in vain. They sow wind in rhe Niger Delta and currently reaping the whirlwind .

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by ozodimgba(m): 12:55pm On Jun 03, 2016
not again, I mean Neva again!

6 Likes 1 Share

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by sanandreas(m): 12:56pm On Jun 03, 2016
Rip Ken Saro. Oppression can only last for a while. Victory victory victory is ours.

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by ThatIgboBoy: 1:21pm On Jun 03, 2016
tears dropped from my eyes while reading this
RIP ken saro wiwa
Your brothers are out there fighting the just cause

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by wordcat(m): 1:52pm On Jun 03, 2016
Deadlytruth:
Whoever sacrifices and trades away justice and equity on the altar of seeking peace and "national unity" will later have to have his own rights abused and his blood shed to sustain that peace while he himself perpetually be in search of justice that justice he traded away.

And such peace is what the Hausas with the help of some saboteurs from the South( SE,SS,SW) want us to accept.

My lord, we all stand
before history-Ken Saro Wiwa, 1995

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Expensivewarrio: 2:09pm On Jun 03, 2016
Well, when one refuses to see beyond its nose, think of the future and not present and apply common sense, regret is always the result afterwards. Had these people seen what Ojukwu saw pre 1966 they will not be in this pitiable and pathetic condition.
They would've apply that saying; "the devil(Ig.bos) u know is better than the angel(Nigeria) u don't know.

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Expensivewarrio: 2:17pm On Jun 03, 2016
wordcat:


And such peace is what the Hausas with the help of some saboteurs from the South( SE,SS,SW) want us to accept.

My lord, we all stand
before history-Ken Saro Wiwa, 1995
Please igbos are not ur problem, nor stopping u from achieving whatever is ur goal. Just leave igbos out of ur madness and face front

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Abeymills(m): 2:49pm On Jun 03, 2016
Fear north but fear not wat dey can do2ur body n soul wicked north

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by 400billionman: 3:46pm On Jun 03, 2016
Martin Lutherking of Niger Delta.

Am i right ?

11 Likes 1 Share

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by wordcat(m): 4:16pm On Jun 03, 2016
Expensivewarrio:

Please igbos are not ur problem, nor stopping u from achieving whatever is ur goal. Just leave igbos out of ur madness and face front

Mkpi, I'm talking about South in general

1 Like

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by 989900: 4:40pm On Jun 03, 2016
I call upon the Ogoni people, the peoples of the Niger delta, and the oppressed ethnic minorities of Nigeria to stand up now and fight fearlessly and peacefully for their rights.

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Nobody: 4:46pm On Jun 03, 2016
wordcat:


And such peace is what the Hausas with the help of some saboteurs from the South( SE,SS,SW) want us to accept.


My lord, we all stand
before history-Ken Saro Wiwa, 1995

Stop lumping SW with SE and SS...they have nothing in common. I take God beg you!

37 Likes 1 Share

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Viktor1983(m): 5:50pm On Jun 03, 2016
Touching.. It's so easy to hate this country..

10 Likes 2 Shares

Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Nobody: 6:30pm On Jun 03, 2016
Uduak2019:


Stop lumping SW with SE and SS...they have nothing in common. I take God beg you!

Igbo boy bearing Ibibio name undecided

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Deadlytruth(m): 4:46am On Jun 04, 2016
Expensivewarrio:
Well, when one refuses to see beyond its nose, think of the future and not present and apply common sense, regret is always the result afterwards. Had these people seen what Ojukwu saw pre 1966 they will not be in this pitiable and pathetic condition.
They would've apply that saying; "the devil(Ig.bos) u know is better than the angel(Nigeria) u don't know.

Igbos invented "One Nigeria" and worked to defend it at a time it was clear that Nigeria was not one and could never become one.
Ojukwu did not see anything. He was an enemy of the Niger Delta because it was he who crushed the very first attempt the Niger Delta made to pull out of "One-Nigeria". Ojukwu was still loving one Nigeria and was ready to crush anyone whose activities threatened the survival of "One-Nigeria". Ojukwu even so loved "One-Nigeria" that he twice sent back to the North his own fellow Igbos who managed to escape to Enugu from the 1966 pogroms in the North. Ojukwu himself confessed he did that because he was genuinely convinced initially that Gowon was on a reconciliatory mission. A person who was still hoping to reconcile with a system that had already killed thousands of his own people. And you call such a person a seer of the future? Why could Ojukwu and Ironsi not declare Biafra while they were still in power and calling the shots?
Isaac Boro and Niger Deltans had already woken up before Ojukwu and Biafrans later painfully realized it was daybreak.

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Ikeg48: 5:26am On Jun 04, 2016
Deadlytruth:


Igbos invented "One Nigeria" and worked to defend it at a time it was clear that Nigeria was not one and could never become one.
Ojukwu did not see anything. He was an enemy of the Niger Delta because it was he who crushed the very first attempt the Niger Delta made to pull out of "One-Nigeria". Ojukwu was still loving one Nigeria and was ready to crush anyone whose activities threatened the survival of "One-Nigeria". Ojukwu even so loved "One-Nigeria" that he twice sent back to the North his own fellow Igbos who managed to escape to Enugu from the 1966 pogroms in the North. Ojukwu himself confessed he did that because he was genuinely convinced initially that Gowon was on a reconciliatory mission. A person who was still hoping to reconcile with a system that had already killed thousands of his own people. And you call such a person a seer of the future? Why could Ojukwu and Ironsi not declare Biafra while they were still in power and calling the shots?
Isaac Boro and Niger Deltans had already woken up before Ojukwu and Biafrans later painfully realized it was daybreak.

Deadlytruth:


It was actually myopic on their path to settle for injustice in the name of working for peace. Such peace is usually very elusive and counterproductive.
Whoever sacrifices and trades away justice and equity on the altar of seeking peace and "national unity" will later have to have his own rights abused and his blood shed to sustain that peace while he himself perpetually be in search of justice that justice he traded away. Such is why Niger Delta has paid dearly for that "peace" and has till today still not been able to restore the justice and equity they traded away.

Pathetic attempts to rewrite history. How pitiful.

Provide the links to justify everything you just written..
In addotion,provide the direct quite from ojukwu of what you accused him of "admitting".

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by chernest2002: 6:09am On Jun 04, 2016
And that history is repeating over and over again. Wicked generation of Hausa fulani.

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Histrings08(m): 6:35am On Jun 04, 2016
Ikeg48:




Pathetic attempts to rewrite history. How pitiful.

Provide the links to justify everything you just written..
In addotion,provide the direct quite from ojukwu of what you accused him of "admitting".

are u accusing op of making this up?

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Deadlytruth(m): 6:39am On Jun 04, 2016
Ikeg48:




Pathetic attempts to rewrite history. How pitiful.

Provide the links to justify everything you just written..
In addotion,provide the direct quite from ojukwu of what you accused him of "admitting".


Hypocritic attempt to distort history. It is you who claiming that I am distorting history so you are the one to show links to support your own claim. You obviously saw it clearly that my comment on Niger Delta trading away justice for "peace" was merely in corroboration of a previous similar comment by someone else, but you did not ask that person ( original maker of the comment) for links, instead you are asking me. How hypocritical and reproachable!
The facts are all available from books on how Aguyi Ironsi dismantled federalism and replaced it with unitary system which marked the beginnings of rape of the Niger Delta's wealth. Ironsi was not from the Niger Delta himself but a lot of Niger Delta Army officers like Bassey Effiong actively or passively approved Ironsi's rash and myopic Unification Decree which grounded regional autonomy all in the name of seeking a "stronger" and more "united" country.
Well for Ojukwu's deeds against the Niger Delta; please show me a link that completely exonerates Ojukwu from the arrest and sentencing to death of Isaac Boro. Show me a link that proves beyond reasonable doubt that biafran soldiers did not invade and illegally occupy all today's six SS states committing atrocities against innocent locals in a fight between Arewa and Biafra who had been friends since 1959 in the NCNC-NPC governing coalition.
Ojukwu's own confessional statements on how he twice sent Igbo fugitives back to the North is on You-tube live. Videos don't lie.

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by phemmie06(m): 7:04am On Jun 04, 2016
A great hero, you have not died in vain

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Re: The Last Statement Of Ken Saro Wiwa At The Military Tribunal On May 21 1995. by Deadlytruth(m): 10:48pm On Jun 04, 2016
63xtr33r:


I've made it known to you severally that Igbos are not interested in sharing a country with lying hypocrites who are confused about what they stand for.

If you're too pained that you and your Uneme-Nekhua people will eventually end up with the Yorubas and Hausa-Fulanis in OduaArewanistan republic then find the nearest brick wall and smash your empty-headed skull to smithereens.

In all your useless theses and theories of absurdity you have consistently failed to point out the contributions of your Uneme-Nekhua people to this country. If you're worth your arrogant grandstanding you'd have done well by mentioning your Uneme-Nekhua elites who have attempted to salvage this contraption from heading to the rocks.

It's your kind of people who have helped to destroy this entity and brought it into ruins by your perpetual ass-licking stance.

If you're sensible you would have channelled your negative energies to countering the maiming and killings of your kinsmen for fun for decades by the marauding herdsmen; but you wouldn't and can't. And you think that Igbos are your mates that you and your cotravellers can just wake up from stupor and start ranting senselessly at.

Stop rambling like a broken record! Your pulling out baseless theories of absurdity to blackmail the Igbo Nation to continue with you in this cesspit is DOA and such shenanigan cannot save you!

It has been a curse on Igbos having your likes in the same country and this curse is broken already and the serpent head is severely bruised and that's why you've been on rampage for some months now attempting in vain to resurrect a walking corpse.

Take your miseries to OduaArewanistan republic where bunch of hypocrites and confused bigots are found.

Igbos are comfortable having a separate existence from greedy, treasury looters cum murderous backst*bbers.

Who are Igbos' mates? Were they known before the arrival of whites? The Edo Kingdom and its peoples were already known in Europe as far back as the 13th century while Igbos were yet to even identify themselves as a tribe.

So suddenly Igbos are no longer interested in sharing a country with "ass lickers and Arewanistan" after they (Igbos) held us together with ass lickers and Arewanistan by their fraudulent "One Nigeria" sloganeering against our wish? You people's hypocrisy is mind-boggling. So you knew people were ass lickers and Arewanistan yet you sought oneness with them and even held them back when they tried to separate from Nigeria?

You knew Nigeria was a cesspit of Arewanistan and ass lickers yet you held Isaac Adaka Boro back from exiting the cesspit? What an interesting Irony!
When will you guys just be honest enough to accept that you were the cause of all what you now regret? You keep hailing Zik as a nationalist yet you term as a cesspit the very "one" Nigeria he built with his so-called nationalism. What an interesting irony! That's tantamount to speaking from both sides of the mouth.

Until you answer me clearly and prove me wrong that Igbos were responsible for preventing the de-amalgamation of Nigeria your diatribes will always appear escapist and evasive in my eyes. Why can't you for once be honest and acknowledge that your Zik and Ironsi caused your seemingly irreversible bondage with those you call ass lickers and Arewanistan?

Well, the Enahoro who represented me saw it ahead that Nigeria was going to be a cesspit and he therefore proposed the secession clause in the constitution to make it easy for us his people, the yorubas, the Hausas and even Igbos, etc to exit the union later on if they felt cheated, but your Zik who was having wet dreams about one Nigeria resisted him and termed him a tribalist for that. So whose fault is it that you are now not able to exit the cesspit today?

Any educated and enlightened person knows that the only feature that distinguishes confederal constitutions from federal and unitary ones is the provision of a level of looseness which guarantees the right to secession. The constitution of Nigeria would therefore have been confederal if Enahoro's suggestion of the secession clause was accepted by Zik and his fellow Igbos. But Zik argued that the unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable and that secession clause was inimical to national unity and "One-Nigeria". Now, is there national unity today even with the non-inclusion of the secession clause? That means Zik was wrong, misguided and was fooling you people all along, yet you keep hailing him as a nationalist.

Even the truly federal constitution bequeathed onto us at independence was working fine. It was still one Mr. I- know-it-all from Igbo land that first tampered with it at a time the public did not demand constitution review. What was his motive if not fraud? It was his action that morally emboldened all others that came after him to fully bastardize the constitution from its wholly federal character to the unitary form which Braithwaite complained of. So whose fault again other than Igbos'?

My Uneme-Nekhua people can't be seeking ways to salvage Nigeria as you charged us to. We won't do so because Nigeria has always been beyond salvage and we knew and acknowledged that right from Adam. Only Igbos refused to accept that reality and gospel truth initially.
Our blood has never been shed by Northerners at anytime as we, unlike Igbos, rarely go up North to seek greener pastures but go to Lagos or overseas for which we might be called prostitutes but however not killed in the process the way Igbos get killed in the North and have still remained there seeking one Nigeria. It is rather you Igbos that have had their blood repeatedly shed by Northerners to keep Nigeria one as directed by Zik. In furtherance of that Igbos kept forming alliances with the North each time after Northerners shed their blood all in a bid to "salvage" one Nigeria. Is that the way you want us Unemes and indeed all Edos too to contribute to the "salvaging" of one Nigeria? Igbos' laughable ways of reasoning! Ha ha ha ha....... Please cut that crap of a suggestion cos we are not that silly.
Our blood is too precious to sacrifice trying to correct the blunders Igbos made against all wise counsels and are still paying dearly for.
Your claim that Igbos are not ready to form a country with Arewanistan, ass lickers, treasury looters, blah, blah, blah...is pure rubbish as Igbos and Hausas are one and the same in Nigeria's politics. The BIA syllable of WAZOBIA is an Igbo word which, on the surface, means "come" but actually is the short form of BIAFRA in deeper meaning. So Biafra is part and parcel of WaZoBia. In fact Bia is directly tied to Zo in Wa-zobia spelling meaning that the Hausa and Igbos are closer together than everyone else. Just check it out Wa (ZoBia) meaning Yoruba (HausaIgbo). There is no Edo word in the Wazobia appellation. It is all a Yoruba -HausaIgbo affair. Live with that reality. Hausas love you and you love them even when they are slaughtering you. It happened in 1945 and 1953 yet in 1959 you went into a political marriage with them called NPC-NCNC (Arewanistan-Biafra) coalition. Twenty years later, in 1979, you again went into the NPN-NPP (still Arewanistan-Biafra) coalition. Twenty years again, 1999, still you went into the PDP (Arewanistan-Biafra) Coalition once more. Do you think the twenty year interval is just being coincidental? If you think so then consider the fact that a Biafran called Ekweremadu has once more zoned the PDP (Arewanistan-Biafra) ticket to Arewanistan North against 2019........another 20 years from 1999. Open your eyes and see that Hausa and Igbo oneness is non-negotiable as Zik put it. It even follows a rhyming pattern.

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