Ogoni's Agonies responds to the current crisis of postcolonial Nigeria. The killing of writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others by the Nigerian Military regime serves as a watershed for re-examining the roles of multinational companies in contemporary Africa, and the collaborations of military dictatorship in the perpetuation of human and environmental abuses in Nigeria. This book takes on that re-examination in scholarly writing, in interviews and in poetry.

The book offers a wide range of perspectives on the crisis. It includes detailed historical analyses of the Ogoni people, of Nigerian politics, and of the international responses to the Saro-Wiwa execution. It also includes a strong body of critical responses to the work of Ken Saro-Wiwa, and to his importance as a Nigerian intellectual and activist.