Pa Beesom Wiwa: left to look after himself

His father, Pa Beesom Wiwa, is still alive at 96, but is tormented by his loss.

He told me that according to Ogoni tradition, he should now be looked after by his son.

"No-one is feeding me. I leave the whole thing in the hands of God, but how can I be happy?"

Demand for rights

Ken Saro-Wiwa campaigned against a cruel military government. He demanded an end to oil pollution and greater autonomy for the Ogonis - one of Nigeria's smallest ethnic groups.

Shell's oil installations stand abandoned

Now the country's new civilian government is making an attempt to redress the injustices of the past. The Human Rights Commission has moved to Port Harcourt where it is expected to hear petitions from aggrieved Ogonis.

But Pa Wiwa will not be among those going to the commission. "There's no point - they cannot bring my son back" he says bluntly.

Problems with Shell

Ken Saro-Wiwa had a deep suspicion of the oil multinational Shell, which he said was working hand-in-glove with the military. Shell was forced to withdraw from Ogoniland in 1993. At that time they said their staff were being intimidated and sometimes attacked.

You can't talk about reconciliation when the fundamental issues have not been addressed - issues like the right to self-determination and resource control

Patrick Naagbanton, Ogoni activist

There is no sign that Shell is about to resume oil production. The company's flow stations and pipelines in Ogoniland have been abandoned. Some are covered in weeds, others are rusting away.

Ledum Mittee, who took over from Ken Saro-Wiwa as leader of the Ogoni campaign, says there is no easy way for Shell to come back.

"There's very deep-rooted hatred for that company," he says, " it might even be easier if another company were to come".

Ogonis divided

But the Ogonis have never spoken with one voice. Even when Ken Saro-Wiwa was alive they were divided, and if anything those divisions have subsequently worsened.

Many Ogonis no longer recognise Ledum Mittee as their leader. And Shell's Nigeria spokesman Precious Omuku says some people would like the company to return. This could bring jobs and investment to the area.

But before this can happen, according to Mr Omuku, "we'd like to come to an understanding to those people who are opposed, to drop their perceptions of us".

For now the Ogonis are still mired in poverty, and still suspicious of the motives of the Nigerian Government. The Human Rights Commission is intended to achieve reconciliation by exposing the truth about Nigeria's past.

But according to Ogoni activist Patrick Naagbanton, it is bound to fail.

Activist Ledum Mitee: "A deep hatred of Shell"

"You can't talk about reconciliation when the fundamental issues have not been addressed - issues like the right to self-determination and resource control," he argues.

The military repression in Ogoniland has ended - the soldiers have withdrawn. But little else has changed. Outsiders attracted to the Ogoni campaign in the 1990s have grown disillusioned by the often baffling internal divisions.

The Human Rights Commission ought to have been an opportunity for a fresh start - in fact, it seems it has come too soon to heal the wounds of the past.