Living with Oil
‘Living with Oil’ examines the true cost of oil extraction in the Niger Delta and makes a case for accountability from multinational oil companies. Play video
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September 12, 2024
BEHIND THE SCENE: State Attacks on Civic Freedoms in the Niger Delta
Since its return to democracy in 1999, Nigeria has seen a steady shrinking of the civic space through actions of the federal government. However, state governments are highly complicit in abuses, sometimes even more than the national government. This report examines civic space infringements by state governments in the Niger Delta, a phenomenon that is clearly under-reported.…
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August 8, 2024
CSOs Lament Shrinking Civic Space in Niger Delta
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating in states of the South-South and Niger Delta have lamented the closure of public space by government and other state actors against the expression of free speech and other... Read More
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August 2, 2024
We the People Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Strengthening and Protecting the Civic Space and Civil Society Operational Environment in the Niger Delta
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…
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July 31, 2024
Pollution: Environmentalists Blame FG For Not Holding IOCs Accountable
Some Environmentalists in the south-south region have criticized the Federal Government for what they described as laxity in holding International Oil Companies (IOCs), accountable for their actions but endorsing their divestment plan. https://thewhistler.ng/pollution-environmentalists-blame-fg-for-not-holding-iocs-accountable/
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July 23, 2024
Niger Delta Pollution is Political, Says Environmentalist
Renowned environmentalist and Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, has alleged that the pollution situation in the Niger Delta region is politically motivated, saying that the government...
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July 23, 2024
Townhall Meeting: Legacy of Big Oil in the Niger Delta
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…
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July 23, 2024
We the People and HOMEF Train Communities on Environmental Monitoring and Eco Defending
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…
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July 18, 2024
Crime Scene: Big Oil In the Niger Delta
In this episode, we travel to Niger Delta communities where Shell, ExxonMobil, Total Energies, Eni and Chevron have extracted crude oil from for several decades. We speak to the indigenous people who have lost livelihoods and been poisoned by the pollution of these companies. We listen as communities counter the lies of big oil, and make…
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June 29, 2024
Addressing the Causes of Deforestation in Cross River State: Implications for Biodiversity, Livelihoods, Security and Climate Change
The level of forest degradation in Cross River State has reached unprecedented heights, making it the most alarming cases of ongoing deforestation in the world. This report examines the factors driving deforestation in the state, how deforestation undermines efforts to address climate change, how it severely threatens wildlife and drives endangered wildlife species to extinction. It…
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June 24, 2024
CSOs, experts call for C’River forestry laws’ review
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and relevant stakeholders in the forestry sector have called for the review of Cross River Forestry Commission laws to address...
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June 10, 2024
Environmentalists raise alarm over high-level deforestation in C’River
The Executive Director of ‘We the People’, an environmental advocacy group, Mr Ken Henshaw, while speaking on Friday in Calabar at a round table discussion themed, ‘Fostering...
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June 8, 2024
Cross River Raises Alarm Over Illegal Mining, Invasion Of Park By Foreigners
The Cross River State government has raised the alarm over what it described as massive illegal mining activities at the state’s National Park by...
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June 7, 2024
We the People’s Policy Roundtable Proposes Strategies for Forest Protection
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…
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June 7, 2024
Deforestation: Stakeholders Seek Amendment Of Forestry Commission Law, Accuse Government, Farmers And Miners
The conversation around the massive unchecked deforestation across Cross River State took center stage again on Thursday in Calabar with stakeholders accusing the Government, farmers and miners of being major drivers...
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June 7, 2024
Illegal Minings: Armed Nigeriens, Chadians occupy Cross River forests – State govt
The Cross River State government has raised alarm over the massive presence of foreigners believed to come from Chad and Niger...
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June 6, 2024
World Environment Day: We the People Advocates Pollution and Ecosystem Restoration in the Niger Delta
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…
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June 5, 2024
Group mulls legal option to stop IOCs’ divestment from N’Delta
A human rights organization, ‘We The People,’ has said that it is considering legal options to hold international oil companies responsible for the massive environmental degradation from their operations...
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June 3, 2024
Group seeks legal options for Niger Delta environmental damage
We The People, a human and ecological rights organization, is exploring legal avenues to hold international oil companies (IOCs) accountable for the extensive environmental damage caused by their operations...
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June 3, 2024
Environmental Nightmare: Ex-Commissioner Blows Whistle on Niger Delta Leaders
Iniruo Wills, a former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Environment and environmental activist, has accused Niger Delta governors, ministers, and senators of abetting the region’s...
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June 3, 2024
Group urges FG to restrain from approving IOCs assets divestment
A civil society organisation, We The People (WTP) has urged the Federal Government to exercise restraint in ratifying the International Oil Companies assets...
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June 3, 2024
We the People and Partners Petition Shell’s AGM on Pollution
I’m here today with a message from We the People in the Niger DeltaOn account of your fossil fuel pollution in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, the life expectancy there is currently only between 41 and 46 years. That’s younger than most of the people in this room today. How can you be comfortable profiting from…
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May 23, 2024
Environmental activists fault planned resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland
The groups recalled that in 1993, Shell was evicted from Ogoniland where it had extracted crude oil non-stop for decades with unbelievable ecological consequences, after the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) mobilized the Ogoni and called on the Nigerian government to clean up the Ogoni ...
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May 23, 2024
Environmental Groups Frowns At Reopening of Extraction In N’Delta
Twelve environmental groups have frowned on the presidency’s decision to reopen oil extraction in Ogoniland despite the environmental and ecological impact on the land. Despite the pollution...
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May 23, 2024
Ogoni Oil in the Eye of the Storm
Press Release In 1993, Shell was forced out of Ogoniland where it had extracted crude oil non-stop for decades with unbelievable ecological consequences. The Ogoni people, mobilized under the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), had issued a set of demands in the Ogoni Bill of Rights in 1990 which included calls to the…
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May 19, 2024
Youths Protest Alleged Illegal Mining, Timber Logging By Businessman In Cross River
Youths from Bendeghe Affi community in Ikom local government area of Cross River State on Wednesday protested an alleged move...
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May 13, 2024
We the People holds Legal Roundtable on Addressing Oil Company Divestment and Environmental Remediation in the Niger Delta
On 29 th April, 2024, We the People convened a legal roundtable on the pressing issues of oil company divestment and environmental remediation in the Niger Delta. The roundtable gathered legal scholars, environmental advocates, community representatives, and policy makers to engage in a comprehensive discussion on the legal pathways for ensuring accountability and justice in the…
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May 3, 2024
2024 WE THE PEOPLE’S RIGHTS ACADEMY (CALL FOR APPLICATIONS)
Human and nature rights are essential components of a sustainable future and require proper recognition, protection, and promotion. As we strive to build a better world, it is crucial that we understand the interdependence between human rights and the rights of nature. The Rights Academy is committed to fostering an understanding of this underlying relationship among…
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May 2, 2024
Don’t Let Shell, ExxonMobil, Eni-Agip, Chevron & Total Leave Without Cleaning Up the Niger Delta.
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…
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April 19, 2024
Petroleum Industry Act, Section 257 Factsheet
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…
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March 25, 2024
Town Hall Meeting to Mark International Day of Forests, Launch Mangrove Restoration Project
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…
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March 21, 2024
Divestment Explainer Video
After nearly 70 years of oil and gas extraction in Nigeria’s 'Niger Delta and hundreds of billions of dollars in profits, why are multi-national oil companies suddenly losing their appetite in the Niger Delta? This short explainer video tells the true story. Play Video
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March 12, 2024
Holding Oil Companies and their Partners Accountable: We the People Takes Campaign to Communities
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…
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February 29, 2024
We the People Webinar Examines Harms of Oil Company Divestments and Insurance for Fossil Projects
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…
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February 27, 2024
Shell Must Address Ecological, Health, Economic and Social Impacts Concerns in the Niger Delta Before Selling Assets
Media Statement On the 16 th of January 2023, Shell announced on its website and social media platform X that it had reached an agreement to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary SPDC to a consortium of domestic and international oil companies for a total net fee of $2.8 billion. However, the finalization of the transaction is dependent…
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January 23, 2024
REDD+, the commercialization of Nature and the Rights of Mother Earth.
Grace Appolos, Human rights, Environment and Climate Campaigner, We the PeopleREDD+ is perhaps one of the most celebrated and promising climate change mitigation programmes under the UNFCCC frameworks. Touted as a ‘nature-based solution’, REDD+ has been widely propagated as a safe and prudent strategy to curb carbon emissions and mitigate climate change. However, the implementation of…
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January 11, 2024
HOSTCOMS, CSOs sue NASS, AGF over PIA
Oil Host Communities in Niger Delta and some Civil Society Organisations in the region have dragged the National Assembly and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to court over the Petroleum Industry...
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November 4, 2023
CSOs, communities drag FG to court over PIA, Development Trust
Port Harcourt — A coalition of civil society organisations, CSOs, and members of host communities in the Niger Delta region have dragged the National Assembly and the Attorney General of the Federation to court over section 257 of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA 2021, which bothers on Host Communities Development...
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November 4, 2023
CSOs, communities sue NASS, FG over PIA
A coalition of civil society groups and host communities in the Niger Delta region have dragged the National Assembly and the Attorney General of the Federation to court, over section 257 of...
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November 4, 2023
Group sues National Assembly, AGF over section 257 of PIA
Some natives of oil-bearing communities in the Niger Delta and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have sued the National Assembly over Section 257 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). Also joined in the suit as a defendant is the Attorney-General of the Federation...
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November 4, 2023