The Political Rise of Ken Saro-Wiwa (Part II)

1973 began with Ken Saro-Wiwa being more publicly critical than ever of the Nigerian government he was a part of. Increasingly, he served two masters: he was a government commissioner and he was also advocating for the autonomy of the Ogoni people over their political and economic affairs. Fresh out of a civil war, Nigeria’s authorities were intolerant of any form of agitation or activism, especially for ethnic autonomy.

But Saro-Wiwa persisted. He wrote petitions against Shell, and published articles like ‘Genocide in Nigeria: the Ogoni Tragedy’. Through these acts, Saro-Wiwa effectively crossed a line and the government responded in kind. In March 1973, a radio bulletin announced that the Rivers State Government had fired Saro-Wiwa. What did Saro-Wiwa do next? Who was Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro why does he loom large in the origins of Saro-Wiwa’s eventual activism?

In this episode, Wale Lawal finds some answers.