History of Ogoni self-government

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

1. 1.

   Claim: The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) was established in 1990 as an umbrella organisation for Ogoni civil-society groups, including women's, youth, church, teacher, student and professional bodies; the same year, MOSOP published the Ogoni Bill of Rights, co-drafted by Ken Saro-Wiwa, which demanded environmental protection for Ogoniland, self-determination and greater economic and political autonomy for the Ogoni people within Nigeria, cultural rights, representation in Nigerian institutions, and a fair share of oil revenue derived from the region — a set of demands for autonomy and rights, not for secession from Nigeria.

   • Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Wikipedia) link, Founding section. Source record
   • Today, remembering the Ogoni Bill of Rights (Platform London) link, Content and Objectives section. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
2. 2.

   Claim: In 1994, MOSOP and its founder Ken Saro-Wiwa received the Right Livelihood Award for their non-violent advocacy for Ogoni civil, economic and environmental rights. On 10 November 1995, following a trial that international observers, including then-British Prime Minister John Major, condemned as unjust — Major describing it as "judicial murder" — Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues (the "Ogoni Nine") were executed by the Nigerian government. This bundle presents the trial's international criticism as an attributed characterization and does not narrate the specific legal proceedings in detail.

   • Ken Saro-Wiwa / Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Right Livelihood Foundation) link, Award and execution sections. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record