By Godswill Michael
The Nigeria Youth Coalition (NYC), an umbrella body of ethnic nationality youth groups across the country, has honoured the late Niger Delta environmentalist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, while declaring support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid in 2027.
The event, tagged the 1st All Ethnic Nationalities Youth Conference, was held on Friday, at the Main Auditorium of the Green Building, Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja.
It was originally scheduled for the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, but was moved due to protocol adjustments.
The conference, themed “Emboldening a New Nigeria of Our Dream,” marked the 30th anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders by the Abacha regime.
The NYC said the event was organised to celebrate the “outstanding landmarks and legacies of the late Niger Delta activist and struggle icon,” and to further promote unity, peace, and national cohesion among Nigerian youths.
Over 707 ethnic nationality youth leaders participated in the gathering, which the organisers described as “the maiden largest convergence of youth leaders in Nigeria.” They resolved to endorse President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his bid for re-election in 2027.
The convener and President of the Nigeria Youth Coalition, Aare Oladotun Hassan, said the group commiserated with the Saro-Wiwa family and the people of the Niger Delta.
“We commiserate with the Ken Saro-Wiwa family, the good people of the Niger Delta, and the Nigerian nation at large as we celebrate his iconic legacies considering the recent posthumous pardon and conferment of the national honour of GCON on him,” Hassan said.
He recalled that “Ken Saro-Wiwa was gruesomely hanged alongside eight other Ogoni leaders on November 10, 1995, after premeditated trials on trumped-up charges of murder before a special military tribunal set up by the late Sani Abacha-led junta.”
According to him, the execution was “retribution for their non-violent campaign against Shell and other oil multinationals who devastated the livelihoods of Niger Delta people through pollution and environmental degradation without compensation.”
Hassan noted that Saro-Wiwa’s killing led to years of militancy in the Niger Delta as youths lost faith in non-violence. “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent change inevitable,” he said, adding that while many former militants have been reintegrated, “it is not yet uhuru.”
Calling for deep constitutional reforms, he urged the federal government to consider a new People’s Constitution that would ensure “political stability and increase the tenure of elective office holders to a single seven-year term” to end the “yearly election rituals that have turned Nigeria into an election-prone country.”
Hassan also expressed concern about ongoing economic challenges, including oil sector corruption, high cost of living, and alleged union interference in the petroleum industry.
“We demand the Federal Government’s protection of private investors such as Dangote Refinery and Alhaji Aliko Dangote from unnecessary harassment and economic attacks,” he said.
He urged the government to grant the Dangote Group an exploration license and allow it to operate filling stations that would make petrol available at N200 per litre.
Acknowledging what he described as “the failed economic system inherited by the Tinubu administration,” Hassan commended the president’s efforts to address Niger Delta environmental issues and called for a review of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to increase community benefits from 3% to 30%.
He also proposed a 35% budget allocation to education, 25% to youth development, 15% derivative allocation to traditional institutions, and the creation of a Federal Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs.
Rejecting calls for military intervention, Hassan warned against any move to undermine democracy.
“On no account should the military junta be allowed to rule Nigeria again,” he said. “We must remember that President Tinubu, Senator Shehu Sani, and other vanguard voices of the voiceless played pivotal roles in the struggle against military rule.”
The conference concluded with the presentation of the 100 Heroes of Democracy Awards, honouring distinguished Nigerians from various sectors. President Tinubu was named Maverick Hero of Democracy, while Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, received the Legend of Democracy Hero Award.
Other awardees included Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, King Ateke Tom, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, and Alhaji Yerima Shettima, with a posthumous Doyen of Democracy Hero Award presented to Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Hassan said the NYC would continue to engage government constructively to address issues of education, security, and national development.
“While we pay tribute to the memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa today, we all have a duty to stand against any attempt to take Nigeria back to military rule,” he said. “What we need is a new People’s Constitution and pro-people policies to meet the needs of Nigerians.”
