THE Saro-Wiwa family and the Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation have dismissed an alleged viral report with a photograph claiming that the family has reconciled with Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), now operating as Renaissance African Energy.

The family described the claim as “stage-managed” and “fake news,” urging the public to disregard it.

The Foundation, in a statement issued yesterday, signed by Dr Owens Wiwa, a rights activist and younger brother of the late Ogoni leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa, stated that the report was a calculated ruse aimed at misleading the public.

The alleged report had the photograph of Saro-Wiwa’s daughter, Zina, planting trees with some people said to be from the company.
However, Owens said that the Foundation never authorised Zina to attend the tree planting event, adding that she was misled into attending the event by the facilitators.

Owens said: “The Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation is aware of a fake news item and stage-managed photograph that purport to proclaim Record of Restorative Reconciliation and Collaboration in Ogoniland.

“The Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation and the Wiwa family totally disclaim this stage-managed incident. The tree planting was not authorised, and Zina Saro-Wiwa was tricked into attending the event by the facilitator, who was relieved of his duties following this atrocious act. The Foundation has since uprooted the offensive trees.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ken Saro-Wiwa family and the Foundation have not had any sort of reconciliation with Shell or its new name (Renaissance). Both entities remain persona non grata in Ogoni.”

He insisted that SPDC, now Renaissance, must clean up the Ogoni environment completely and must be held accountable for the killings that took place in Ogoni by the Nigerian army, who were made to kill and pacify the Ogonis so that oil drilling could recommence.

Owens noted that the effort by Hydrocarbon Remediation Programme (HYPREP) to clean up the land and rivers is a good first step. He added that this must be complemented by a political discussion to create a Bori State for the Ogonis. He noted that it is only when the Nigerian government starts this discussion that the process of healing can start.