In the last 2 decades, Nigeria has witnessed an alarming rise in state backed attempts to stifle the civic space, regulate and restrict civil society organizations, criminalize democratic dissent and suffocate freedom of assembly and expression. At the federal level, there have been at least eight legislative attempts to stifle the civic space and restrict the…

On July 23, 2024, We the People held a townhall meeting in Otuabagi community, Bayelsa State, following the release of a podcast documenting the devastating impact of oil extraction in the region and the culpability of Shell, the operating oil company. The event brought together a diverse group of community members, including community chiefs, executive committee…

On July 18, 2024, We the People and the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) held a one-day training for activists and environmental Monitors in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.  The meeting with the theme  ‘From Monitoring to Resistance Eco-Defending as a Resistanace Movement’ aimed to equip civil society, media, and community members with skills to critically…

Concerned with the continued loss of forest in Cross River state, We the People on the 6 th of June, 2024, a organized a roundtable with environment and conservation stakeholders focused on developing strategies and partnerships for forest protection in the State. The meeting drew participation from government ministries and agencies including the state Forestry Commission…

In Nigeria, particularly in the ecologically sensitive Niger Delta, the threat to ecosystems is substantial and alarming. The region faces significant challenges from environmental degradation due to oil exploitation, deforestation, and land mismanagement which is significantly affecting the livelihoods and survival of local communities. As climate change intensifies, it reinforces ecological challenges communities undergo, posing a…

International oil companies Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Eni-Agip and Total Energies have identified buyers to take over their onshore oil operations in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. These companies are walking away after nearly 7 decades of reckless oil extraction that has generated hundreds of billions of dollars for their shareholders, but has left the indigenous…

The Petroleum Industry Act was passed in 2021, following more than two decades of legislative efforts to modernise Nigeria's petroleum sector legislation. A significant element of the PIA focuses on community participation and benefit sharing within the sector.While the Act provides that 3% of oil companies' operational costs will be spent on community development, other provisions…

As part of our efforts to celebrate the International Day of Forests, We the People organised a town hall meeting on March 21, 2024, in the Idundu community of Cross River state. The main objective of the meeting was to raise awareness about the importance of mangroves and emphasise the need to protect this vital ecosystem…

As oil companies in Nigeria's Niger Delta divest from onshore assets and expand their deep sea extraction activities, We the People has launched a series of community engagement forums with the goal of holding the companies accountable and demanding that they clean up the mess they have created in the region. The engagements also seek responsibility…

As part of a bigger movement to hold oil giants accountable for their environmental atrocities, We the People On February 27, 2024, held a webinar on the theme "Examining Oil Company Divestment and Insurance for Fossil Extraction in Nigeria: Ecological and Human Rights Concerns". The webinar sought to investigate the true motivations behind oil firms' hasty divestment decisions…

While the Petroleum Industry Act passed in 2021, contains key provisions aimed at addressing long standing development challenges in oil producing communities in Nigeria, several provisions on the other hand have the potential to cause disaffection and conflict between oil firms and host communities. For the example, provisions for the establishment and management of the Host…

On the 20th of October, 2023, We the People held a webinar with the title, “The Revolution Next Time: Police Reforms and Accountability for Atrocities Since the #EndSARS Protests”. The virtual conference aimed at examining the level of reforms that have taken place since the nationwide protests that took place in 2020. The #EndSARS protests was…

On the 25th-27th July, 2023 We the People organized a learning and exchange workshop for forest, oil, gas and solid mineral extractive communities in the Niger Delta. Recent research and advocacy engagements by the organization has unraveled similarities in the economic and social patterns of extractives activities in various communities in the Niger Delta, irrespective of…

Text of Press Briefing 4 th September, 2023.   Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, you are welcome to this Press Briefing organized by We the People and Development Concern (DEVCON). We have recently become aware that the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has granted mining rights to 2 companies;  Abdulrasaq & Co…

  On the 1st of September, 2023, We the People hosted a webinar with communities, experts and CSOs to dissect the Petroleum Industry Act; an Act often hailed as a model for driving benefits to oil producing communities. The Nigeria Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was enacted in August 2021 with the objective of creating a more…

Communique Issued at the End of a Virtual Consultative Meeting with Stakeholders on the Deforestation in Cross River State, with the Theme ‘Framing Strategies for Ending Deforestation and Protecting Wildlife in the Cross River State Forest’ on the 21st of July, 2023. The meeting was organized as a space for civil society actors and other traditional…

Communities in the Niger Delta have been faced with annual climate change induced floodssince 2012. The floods have led to the loss of lives, displacement of residents, destruction ofhomes, and disruption of livelihoods. Unfortunately, governments at the national and subnational levels have not been responsive in developing effective adaptation and mitigationstrategies to reduce adverse impacts occasioned…

In a thought-provoking webinar organized by We the People and held on the 8th of June 2023, renowned experts and activists shed light on the need for accountability in the moves by oil companies in Nigeria to divest their onshore and shallow water assets. At the webinar titled ‘DIRTY EXIT: EXAMINING THE DOWNSIDE OF OIL COMPANY…

On the 13 th of May, 2023, oil impacted communities across Africa and thousands of climate justice activists joined the People’s Heath Tribunal to hear testimonies from frontline communities on the negative impacts of extractivism on their health, environment and livelihoods. The event which was organized by a coalition of organizations including We the People, People’s…

At a conference on Loss and Damage held on May 9, 2023 and organized by We the People, renowned experts, activists and members of frontline communities discuss critical perspectives on Loss and Damage. The conference shed light on the origins of the Loss and Damage conversation, the ongoing international debate around it, and the urgent need…

  Concerned by the state of the Niger Delta region and the several issues that plague it, frontline civil society organizations- Health of Mother Earth Foundation, We the People and OilWatch Africa have held the Niger Delta Alternatives Convergence, a gathering of civil society organisations, socio-cultural and political groups, academics, traditional rulers, and individuals from the…

Oil Companies are not Divesting in Nigeria, they are Fleeing Accountability and Justice Being text of a media briefing by We the People during the presentation of its new report ‘Dirty Exit’ in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. 15th April, 2023. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the media, we welcome you to this media briefing specifically organized…

  Concerned with the deteriorating human and ecological rights situation in Nigeria, We the People has launched a Rights Academy in the Niger Delta city of Calabar to strengthen the capacity of a range of actors to respond to rights abuses. The Academy brings together 17 passionate young people who will be trained for 12 weeks…

On the 19th - 21st of February 2023, We the People engaged representatives of oil producing and impacted communities in the Niger Delta in a training workshop. The Workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of oil producing members to engage the Nigeria’s new Petroleum Industry Act, identify the gaps and challenges associated with the hurried divestment…

Concerned with the obvious absence of climate change and environmental issues in the conversations leading up to the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, three frontline environmental organizations in Nigeria- Health of Mother Earth Foundation, We the People, and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa- on the 7th of February 2023, held a Town Hall Meeting for…

We the People recently learnt that the Rivers state House of Assembly was considering a Bill mandating Civil Society Organizations in the state to pass through an additional level of registration with the state government. The Bill amongst others, requires CSOs operating in, or that have any dealings in Rivers State, to register with a ‘Registry’…

Concerned with the rising spate of deforestation in Cross River State, southern Nigeria, We the People on the 6th December, 2022 held a Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Deforestation in the state capital Calabar. Recall that in 2008, arising from an environmental summit, the Cross River state government had instituted a ban on all forest activities, specifically targeting…

  In continuation of its campaign to hold oil companies accountable for ecological damage caused by their activities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, We the People on the 23 rd of November 2022, held a Multi-Stakeholder Conference to address the subject of divestment by multinational oil companies. The Conference which held in the city…

On the 5th of October 2022, We the People steered a conversation on the theme of ‘No Divestment Without Restoration’. The audience, made up of concerned activists, journalists, and committed stakeholders met at the Centre for Social Studies and Development in Port Harcourt to discuss the trends arising from the decision of International Oil Companies (IOCs)…

Text of Press Conference Organized by We the People and the Rainforest Resources and Development Centre on the Spate of Deforestation in the Cross River Forests. 5th September 2022. Calabar. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, and civil society organizations, we thank you deeply for finding the time to attend this briefing. Like most citizens…

  On the 15th of August 2022, We the People and partners continued their Divestment Dialogue at Ibeno community, this time focused on ExxonMobil’s plan to sell-off its oil assets and leave the community. The Ibeno people not only raised alarm that the company is about to leave behind several decades’ worth of environmental degradation and…

  Joinkrama Community is a vivid example of the negative impacts of oil extraction on people. Joinkrama is a collection of 4 settlements located in Ahoada West local government area of Rivers state. It lies along the Orashi river which cuts through many parts of the community and provides support for fishing and farming which is…