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…
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…
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…
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…
Rivers state, among other states in the Niger Delta region has become notorious for the occurrence of atrocious killings. In the last 5 years at least, there has been a steady rise in the prominence of killings perpetrated by state and non state actors, once again highlighting Rivers state as a major flashpoint for…
#NigeriaBleeds Following its sharp increase of 43% in mass atrocities 2020, Nigeria has continued to experience a decline in security across the nation. In the first quarter of 2021(January to March), we recorded an all-time quarterly high of almost 2000 fatalities from mass atrocities incidents across the country. This week, across the 6 geopolitical zones,…
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…
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…
*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…
In contribution to the ongoing national legislative conversation on the Petroleum Industry Bill 2020, We the People led a delegation of oil producing communities and CSO to the Public Hearing at the National Assembly. We presented a Memo containing concerns with the Bill and recommendations. Download Full Report
On the 9th and 10th of February 2021, We the People and Partners organized a 2- Workshop to examine the impacts of climate change on food security in Southern Nigeria. Since at least 2012, several communities in the Niger Delta especially those lying around or bordered by rivers, have experienced annual floods that overwhelm massive…
Following the nationwide #EndSARS protests which has forced the federal and some state governments to re-assess their responsibility of ensuring that law enforcement officers operate within established rules; and that atrocities committed by those tasked to protect are accounted for, different levels of government have established frameworks for investigative processes. Several states have established Panels…
In the last 3 years, We the People has campaigned actively demanding an end to atrocities of law enforcement officers against citizens in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta. In 2018 alone, we published 10 reports describing killings by state and non-state actors, including those of the Police and other armed forces. Between 2018 and…
We the People is deeply concerned about the plight of Street Children in Calabar. For almost 2 decades, Calabar, the capital of Cross River state in southern Nigeria has seen a continued rise in the number of children that live on the streets and provide for themselves without the supervision of adults. While Cross River…
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