The leader of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative, OLI, Douglas Fabeke, has written to the Federal Ministry of Environment faulting the manner in which the memory of late Kenule Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 9 was marked during the 10th Anniversary of the Hydrocarbon Pollution and Remediation Project, HYPREP.
In the letter dated Monday, September 7, 2026, Fabeke said he was deeply pained watching the Minister of Environment and other leaders plant trees in Bane, Saro-Wiwa’s hometown, as a memorial to the slain environmentalist and eight other Ogoni men executed in 1995.
He stated that reducing their sacrifice to a tree planting exercise without corresponding action was an insult.
“Let me be clear: I do not condemn tree planting. A green Ogoni is necessary and the program is welcome. But symbolism without substance is an insult to their sacrifice,” Fabeke said.
He questioned why HYPREP officials and the Minister, while in Bane for the memorial, did not inspect the abandoned water project in the community that has remained non-functional, or address the poor state of the road leading into the area.
According to him, the road remains a narrow bush track despite Bane’s historical and global significance.
Fabeke also expressed concern over the continued hardship faced by families of the other eight men executed alongside Saro-Wiwa. He said HYPREP, given its mandate and resources, should have created lifetime support for them since their sacrifice gave birth to the Ogoni cleanup.
The OLI leader further listed what he described as 10 years of unfulfilled promises by HYPREP. These include the absence of any certified remediated site, no visible livelihood programme for Ogoni people, and no reputable companies seen handling remediation work.
He accused the agency of misplaced priorities and waste, noting that huge funds were expended on the anniversary celebration while Ogoni communities continue to suffer environmental degradation and poverty.
Fabeke said the 10th anniversary should have been used to audit, assess and evaluate HYPREP’s achievements, correct failures and recommit to the original mandate of the cleanup.
He urged the Federal Government and the international community to move beyond symbolic gestures and ensure tangible remediation, livelihood support, and justice for Ogoni people.
HYPREP was established in 2016 to implement the UNEP report on environmental restoration in Ogoniland.
