International records / OpenAlex research

Nigeria and the commonwealth

The death sentences on Nigerian writer Kenule Saro‐Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists in November 1995 overshadowed all other matters at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Auckland. Their execution while the assembled heads were pleading for their lives was a reckless defiance of Commonwealth and world opinion. Nigeria has been a central figure in Commonwealth affairs since its independence and had become a important financial cornerstone of the organization. But the country's political problems and the military regime's human rights abuses had taken their toll and before the 19…