On the 23 rd of April 2022, another artisanal refining site in the Niger Delta exploded, killing over 100 persons and injuring dozens. The explosion which occurred near Ohaji-Egbema local government area of Imo state, on the border with Rivers State, also burnt off large sections of the adjoining forest, seriously impacting the environment and…
On the 9th of March 2022, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation and We the People invited Niger Delta communities and civil society activists to a one-day conversation on the recently approved Nigerian Petroleum Industry Act. The event which held at the Ken Saro Wiwa Centre in Port Harcourt, also provided an open space to…
On the 13thof December 2021, We the People hosted a delegation of community activists and climate justice campaigners from Senegal in its Port Harcourt office. The exchange visit which is part of We the People’s plan to collaboratively establish a West Africa Climate Justice Movement, provided an opportunity for climate and environmental activists from both countries…
On the 20th of August 2021, following an Appeal Court ruling denying Shell ownership and access to OML 11 mostly located around the area of the Ogoni ethnic nationality, and handing same over to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, a statement from the NNPC has instructed the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC to immediately take…
Following extensive research conducted by We the People on the negative impacts of oil extraction on communities of the Niger Delta, a validation town hall meeting was held in Port Harcourt on the 23rd of August, 2021. The meeting which brought together stakeholders from various oil and gas producing communities across the region, featured narratives and…
Distinguished ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, The current version of the Petroleum Industry Bill failed to address community, economic and environmental concerns. We have convened this briefing and dialogue to review the state of our environment including the contentious PIB. Recall that only a few days ago, Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives passed the…
Cross River state has the largest remaining forests in Nigeria. While the country has lost 0ver 90% of its original forest cover, an estimated 50% of what remains is in the forests of Cross River state. In 2008, a unilateral state government moratorium on use of forest products resulted in the adoption of the United…
A Conversation with Chairman of the Cross River State Forestry Commission …Responsible for the largest remaining forest in Nigeria, and destination of REDD+ We the People: Our researches indicate a high rate of logging in the reserved forests of Cross River state, which will in turn reinforce climate change impacts. What is the state government’s response…
On the 26th of March 2021, We the People and partner, Policy Alert held a Niger Delta Regional Conference on the Petroleum Industry Bill 2020 to presents findings from its review of the Bill and engagements with communities in the Niger Delta. In his Keynote remarks, the Public Relations Officer of the Pan Niger Delta Forum…
*This chat with the Executive Director of We the People was conducted by Budgit on Twitter and first published on Medium in October 2020 The challenges of benefit transfer to host communities in oil producing states is certainly not a new conversation. In fact, the discourse has been a laser focus in recent years, with…
Chapter 3 of the 2020 Petroleum Industry Bill makes provisions for the establishment and management of a petroleum host community development trust, as a framework for the transfer of development benefits to petroleum host communities. The objectives include to foster sustainable prosperity within host communities, provide direct social and economic benefits from petroleum operations to host…
The Natural Resource Charter (NRC) is a set of principles intended for use by governments, societies, and the international community to determine how best to manage natural resource wealth for the benefit of current and future generations of citizens. The charter’s 12 precepts cover the different kinds of decisions and policies that are required to successfully…
On the 26th of November 2019, the Coalition for Social and Ecological Transformation, CoSET, an umbrella of several environmental and human rights focused originations across Nigeria, launched a campaign in Port Harcourt, Rivers state aimed at ending the flaring of associated gas in the Niger Delta. At the launch of the campaign, the Coalition berated Nigeria’s Federal Government for not taking a firm stand to end gas flaring in the country, citing the continued shift of every deadline established to ensure that multinational oil companies stop the flaring of gas at oil extraction sites. (more…)
On the 12th of October 2019, We the People and the Coalition of REDD+ Delineated Forest Communities in Cross River state, held a consultative meeting in Calabar to assess the level of forest protection in the state and examine actions and proposals that could impact the forests. (more…)
In the last 24 months, residents of Port Harcourt the River State Capital have been battling with the emergence of hydrocarbon soot, the by-product of incomplete combustion coming from the many oil and gas industry outlets in the state. The soot which is clearly noticeable as tiny dark particles on surfaces is believed to have emerged…
For the past 20 months, resident of Port Harcourt Nigeria’s oil and gas capital have witnessed the emergence of black hydrocarbon soot falling from the sky and contaminating everything it descends on as well as the air people breath. The emergence of the soot further compounds the serious environmental devastation suffered in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Over 5 decades of oil and gas exploitation has left the region with one of the most devastated ecosystems in the world. A long history of oil spills and gas flaring has left the lands, water bodies and air in the region unsafe and unproductive. (more…)
