Author: Constance Meju

Efforts to gain respite from the harsh effects of hosting gas flaring in Gelegele Community appears to be yielding result. After advocacy visits and petition to the governor of Edo State and key ministries in the state against Dubril Oil Company operations in Gelegele Community highlighting the negative impacts of its operations on the environment and health of the women in the community by a non-governmental organization, Gbolekekro Women Empowerment and Development Organization, GWEDO, a stakeholders meeting was  held with community leaders from the impacted community, community women, representatives of the oil company, the Edo State governor’s representatives, and the media  to deliberate on the issues raised with the objective of proffering possible solutions, especially  the negative gas flare impact on the health and livelihood of the women.  GWEDO’s research…

As the 10-day nationwide protest against bad governance in Nigeria successfully kicked off, the umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, which hitherto had distanced itself from the protest, has thrown its weight behind the mass action declaring that, “Enough is Enough!” In a press statement by the president of the global body, Comrade Alaye Tari Theophilus on Thursday, day one of the action, noted that bad governance was hurting seriously, the people of the Niger Delta who, bear the brunt of unregulated oil and gas extraction in the region, feeding the nation without evidence of positive…

As the World Celebrates the 2024 World Environment Day with the theme “Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience”, the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) joins the world in advocating for an end to Land degradation, desertification and drought which are critical issues that pose significant problem to global sustainability, global ecosystem, human livelihood, sustainable development and environment health. In a press statement signed by DR TAMMY ALOMA COOKEY, HEAD of the Environment and Conservation Unit of the organization, CEHRD also enjoins environmental fights crusaders to unite and step up actions aimed at ending human activities such as…

As concerned Niger Deltans and environmental activists within and outside the country continue to kick against the clandestine moves by oil majors in the country to divest onshore for off shore operations, oil host communities in Abia and Rivers states whose areas have already been divested, are calling on the federal government to revisit the pull-out while knocking the new operators for lacking both technical ability and respect for their hosts. A visit to Obehi in Abia State where a dialogue session was held with members of oil host communities on May 21, 2024, revealed that contrary to claims by…

Civil Society activists in the Niger Delta have called for the release of the report of the federal government forensic investigation on activities at the Niger Delta Development Commission following revelations of massive corruption in the intervention agency. Stakeholders at the 2024 Situation Room put together by HEDA in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC in Port Harcourt Thursday April 18, 2024, decried the silence over the report to a critical agency to develop Niger Delta communities. Raising the call, Comrade Celestine Akpobari, member of the governing board of HYPRE lamented that everything in the region is being…

Journalists have been challenged to project Niger Delta reality to attract needed attention at national and international levels. The charge was made by the head of programme, Programme, Search For Common Ground, Mr Yacante Agbagadjan, at the opening of a one-week training of journalists by SFCG in Warri, Delta State, March 18-22. Mr. Agbagadjan told the journalists selected from traditional and social media, that they occupy a special position in society to be able to help bring about positive change to the region currently facing a myriad of challenges. Said he, “There are a lot of issues in the Niger…

It was 5.45pm but a housewife and mother of five was yet to feed on the day internationally dedicated to celebrate women, March 8, 2024. While women across the globe celebrated, Mrs Patience Edo was on her sick bed and lack of money had not allowed her to access proper health or eat properly to aid her poor condition. “Hunger don wire me since morning,” she announced as she handed crumbled N100 note to a female relative, who was in her one-room apartment on a solidarity visit. She asked her to use the money to buy for her, a piece…

A coalition of women focused organizations working in the Niger Delta and knowledgeable about the evil trail of havoc wrecked on the region’s ecosystem and livelihood, have called on the Ahmed Tinubu government to halt the planned signing of the onshore divestment agreement with Agip and Exon Mobil.  In a joint press briefing held Thursday February 22 at the office of the foremost women NGO in the region, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center in Port Harcourt, the coalition demanded that there should be no divestment without proper federal government guideline on addressing the damages to the environment being exited and due consultation to with affected host communities.…

Community women in Aboh, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State have raised their voices against wanton destruction of their farmlands by Fulani herdsmen who they allege, are uprooting their cassava and yams to feed their cows. The frustrated and aggrieved women lamented to National Point in two far to reach communities, Abuator and Okpai, that the destruction is pushing them to the wall especially, as they are still battling with the challenges wrath by the 2022 flood which swept away their homes and farmlands. “We are living in daily dread of destruction of our farmlands by the herdsmen…

The campaign for gender representation in decision making took a refreshing turn December 14 when secondary school students from three schools in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, locked horns at Visa Karena to argue for or against having women on decision-making platforms. The executive director of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center, Dr Emem Okon said the shift to school debate was to create awareness among the young on the need to understand and support gender equality ensuring mutual respect among both genders. Debate is a sensitization programme aimed at getting participants to spread learning from the opinions expressed to others…