By Ken Henshaw First published on New Internationalist The two largest transnational oil companies operating in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, Shell and ExxonMobil, are packing up and leaving. Both companies have announced separate plans to sell off their assets as soon as they find buyers and to leave the Niger Delta, where they have extracted crude…
In this interview, Ken Henshaw explains why Nigerians are demanding reparations for over 60 years of Shell oil extraction (First published on Open Democracy) Ken Henshaw is the executive director of We the People, a non-governmental organisation based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Henshaw works closely with local communities to expand civic engagement and…
By Kehinde Ogunyale of We the People’s Communication Team The latest Corruption Perceptions Index ranking by global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International has placed Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in West Africa. Nigeria tops the list of 15 most corrupt countries in the region. Transparency International revealed that Nigeria scored 24 out of 100…
*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…
As a student and a citizen of Nigeria, I see myself growing up to become a responsible leader but corruption has a way of manipulating the minds of people. I studied Statistics in Kenule Beeson Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, the former Rivers State Polytechnic. As a National Diploma (ND1) student, I made good grades, not because…
All over our dear country are pointers of corruption: if it’s not the dilapidated roads which billions of naira have gone into their constructions, it is the budget with staggering figures for frivolous expenditures or it is the police, spread across Nigerian roads seeking bribes from motorists whom they end up extorting. Acts of corruption…
Though situated in the very heart of the city of Port Harcourt, my sister’s new residence, a three-storey building with 12 tenants, was one of the few unfinished buildings in the area. Part of what was yet to be done, was a proper electrical connection. It was said that immediately after the rooms of the…
As a teenager growing up, I loved the Navy. My love for the force came from the many Hollywood movies I watched. The heroics of naval officers enthralled me to the point that I decided I was going to be a naval officer. I bought comics and magazines that displayed naval officers, their equipment, firearms…
I once came across a movie audition posted online by a popular movie director. As a young upcoming actress, I read it and was moved by the words which read “Come and showcase your talent.” I was so happy. The next day I prepared and went for the audition. I sat patiently, waited for my…
The corruption in the Nigerian Immigration Service is one that has been overlooked over the years. Given that corruption is now “normal” in our society, the ones perpetuated by officials of the Immigration Service is mind-bugling and wicked. I work in an oil servicing firm in Port Harcourt and I travel a lot. One of…
In Nigeria, elections are a do or die affair. Politicians hardly hide their desperation to win, neither do they disguise the fact that they are willing to unleash all the ‘weapons’ and strategies at their disposal to do so. They strategize endlessly in their desperation, while we, the voters continue dancing as pawns to their…
At a certain time in Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Corp was considered the most honourable and upright of all the law enforcement units. It was famed that once you were in violation of a traffic or road safety rule, paying a bribe to get off was not even an option. It was better to…
It was morning, that time of the day when the sun has come up but you wouldn’t want to leave the bed because sleep has a way of caressing your eyes after dawn. The sun had forced its way through the window blinds and Udo could feel the warmth of the morning even though he…
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