"The future is in danger when you take peoples resources by the use of arms." From a journalist to an activist and now also a political refugee, GoodLuck Diigo continues to be a strong voice for the Ogoni people of Nigeria.

The Ogoni people are battling multinational oil companies that are using their land and resources. Nigeria is ruled by a military regime that supports these big businesses. Many of the environmentalists and human rights activists that have led the struggle against them, have found themselves persecuted for their convictions.

Diigo began as a journalist and worked as one for 15 years. It was in 1992 that he became active in the Ogoni peoples struggle. He was part of a core group that formed to organize demonstrations to protest economic and environment exploitation by the oil companies. On January 4 of the following year 300,000 people demonstrated and captured the worlds attention, becoming a pivotal moment in the struggle against the multinational giants. The Nigerian government retaliated with force targeting many of the organizers. Diigbo explained: "Protest became a daily affair, there would not be peace until we had our land".

Following the protest Diigo worked closely with Ken Sara Wewa, a prominent writer and human rights activist. They continued to work to bring attention to the harm multinational oil companies were doing. "My people have lost their land, livelihood and have had to relocated." In 1994 Ken Sara Wewa was arrested along with seven others, detained for 8 months and later executed. Diigo was with Ken the day he was arrested " We had traveled together the previous day and were working in the office very late a night. As soon as we departed they stormed his house and arrested him....as for myself there was a shoot on sight order." For the next ten months Diigo was in hiding until he was able to escape to Ghana. "I was in Nigeria for a month and twenty-eight days after Ken was hanged, it was very hard."

Now in the United States as a political refugee he has been active in making people aware of the situation of the Ogoni people. He has spoken at schools, conferences and most recently presented at International Human Rights Tribunal being held at the Earth Summit. His message is of global responsibility . "The Ogoni fight is against companies that people all around the world are supporting...you can't ignore things that are happening in your background. The Ogoni people are in your background and you should not sleep until there is peace in Ogonio."