Author: Constance Meju

Even as the oil spill that erupted in Rumuwhere, Elelenwo in Obio Akpor Local Government of Rivers State is still waiting to be addressed, another spill has occurred in another community in the same LGA, raises fears among oil host communities in that area. Residents of densely populated Rumuewhara Community woke up August 29, to see their environment heavily flooded with crude oil spewing from an oil pipeline belonging to Shell. Further investigations by a team from Pilex Centre, an environmental justice advocacy organization following a visit to the spill site on August 29, revealed that, “the spill was basically as a result of characteristic lack of maintenance of oil facilities by Shell resulting to…

The push for environmental justice by highly deprived and traumatized Niger Delta community women, who are victims of pollution from oil and gas operators in the region, has deepened following a capacity building on seeking justice through legislation via a mock tribunal r conducted by a frontline women organization, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center. The mock tribunal conducted August 7 in Port Harcourt, witnessed presentations of petitions by aggrieved community women from four host communities seeking redress from oil majors-Agip, Shell, Total E &P, for years of unaddressed pollution in their areas and the attendant negative impacts. The women…

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.…