Ken Saro-Wiwa, the man whoSe death has forced the international community to confront its myriad inherent weaknesses, was born in Bori, near Port Harcourt, capital of River State in Nigeria. He has been variously described as an author, environmentalist and leader of the Ogoni people; he was all this and more.

Appointed the administrator of the oil port of Bonny, Saro-Wiwa became one of the first cabinet members in the newly-created River State in 1968. Then he fell oUt with the government. He turned to business, which he ran alongside his real love of writing. Whether in journalism or in creative writing -he was newspaper columnist for lagosbased dailies Punch, Vanguard and the Daily Times -he exposed a nation "cracking up" under the pressures of maladministration and Corporate greed, while its people struggled against "government neglect and abuse".

In 1991, he decided to abandon everything and devote himself to the Ogoni struggle. He put his creative writing in abeyance, plunged headlong into the movement and gave it a new perspective. For the first time, the travails of the Ogonis were discussed at length at international fora. He taught the Ogoni -Who were chafing under the oppressive Sani Abacha regime -to fight for their rights. "I am using even the Koran, which says that it is right to fight one's oppressors, against them (the ruling junta). And they don't like it one bit," he once told a friend.

But he was against violence. He showed impatience each time it was alleged that he was planning secession. "I am not a fool. The Ogoni are only 500,000. Nigeria contains about 100 million people. Secession is not a viable option and we are not into that," he would declare. But he believed in combat -the combat of the written and Spoken word.

"Somebody wanted to knoW the meaning of SaroWiwa's death. Simple; it means nothing has changed," is hoW Chuks 11oegbunam, a cloSe friend of the dead leader, expresses his anguish oVer the loss.