It did not rate more than a few paragraphs, even in the newspapers that recorded it. Indeed, if it were not for Shell's characteristically crass decision to start construction of a major gas project in Nigeria, it might not have been noticed at all.
But, for those who did not see the announcement, the foreign ministers' group established by the Commonwealth Conference to pursue measures against Nigeria was due to meet in London on Tues-day.The absence of comment is not due to ignorance. It simply reflects the way that the issue of Nigerian democracy, which had the prime ministers of the Commonwealth so incensed in their New Zealand conference last month, is quietly sliding off the agenda.
In a world that can allow the Chinese government to re-imprison Wei Jing-sheng for another 14 years and can see the prime movers in the Bosnian war, presidents Milosevic of Serbia and Tudjman of Croatia, lauded in Paris, the judicial murder of a writer and the suppression of his Ogoni people in Nigeria must seem a small matter.
You can hear the diplomats, and the executives of Shell, saying to the generals of the most populous country in Africa: "Look, don't worry too much. What you need to do is make a few gestures about future election intentions and this whole affair will soon be forgotten."
Do not let them do it. What the world needs to understand from Ken Saro-Wiwa's death, and those of his compatriots, is that Nigeria's military government is a very nasty bunch indeed. It is unlikely to get any better, even if there is a coup from within the ranks.
Nor should anyone be fooled into believing there is nothing very much the West can do to bring about change. The fact that the generals are even considering emollient gestures is an indication that outside pressure can have an effect.
Make no mistake about it. The Nigerian military regime runs on three things: the corruption of its leaders, the export of oil and its massive international debt. Attack any one of these - all three would be better - and the generals' cabal would be in deep trouble indeed.
No one, in this disenchanted field, believes that the Commonwealth foreign ministers will do very much this week. With most of Africa declining to join any efforts, the chances of decisive action are not high.
But to those who constantly carp about the lack of Third World will to discipline its own, one can point to the firm stands of the Zimbabwe government, host of the original Harare statement on democracy, and to South Africa.