By Saro L. Pyagbara
On this day, they fell, on this day their voices were snapped away, on this day, the curtains came down on the lives of these great men and heroes of Mother Earth.
On this day, 26 years ago, birds breaked still in the airs in Ogoni firmament never to sing their beautiful melodies, trees stood still refusing to dance to the raging winds of infamy and injustice
On this day , 26 years ago, even the flowing tides refuse to rise, on this day 26 years ago, Mother Nature roared and darkness swept across Ogoniland and the entire environmental world.
Silence enveloped the land but it was a deadly and short-lived silence like hemlock’s poison.
But did our heroes remain silent?
From the ashes of their deaths, has risen a global movement for the protection of Mother Earth and our Climate.
Never before has hydrocarbon extraction faced humanity’s challenge as we see today.
Like Saro-Wiwa predicted that he is more dangerous in death than in life, today, fossil fuels extraction is facing global condemnation on a daily basis, the very reason they were killed for standing up against irresponsible and reprehensible fossil fuel extraction
Today, the alarm the Ogoni nine raised about gas flaring and global warming has been accepted, today even the United Nations and the global community has contemplated various principles to promote a better business, community and company relations
From Global Compact to Voluntary Principles on Human Rights and Security, from UN Guiding Principles to UN Declaration on Human Rights and Environment, from Prince of Wales Business Roundtable to improved OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, from OEIGWG on TNCs and OBEs
Today wounded justice that lay prostrate on the blood flowing streets of Ogoniland is being lifted from the dust of shame to reign supreme amongst the children of men.
From Glasgow to London, from Nairobi to Paris, from New York to Port Harcourt, the flags of the Ogoni nine are being raised and they can never be silent, Ogoni will never be silent and the world will never be silent anymore until justice to the Ogoni is achieved and our environment unchained.
