As the world searches for answers to the climate crisis and the global backsliding of human rights, Indigenous Women says they are doing much more than just resisting: they are leading.
Indigenous Women from Panama
From Colombia to Papua New Guinea, they believe they are regenerating ecosystems, promoting circular economies, and defending their territories with solutions that appear to be working.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI), women leaders from around the world are gathering in Lima, Peru, to celebrate their achievements, share knowledge, strengthen alliances, and chart strategies to face global challenges.
“This anniversary is not just a commemoration, but a political act that defies the current context of setbacks in rights and reduced funding for equality.”
In this context, FIMI is launching a report titled“Beijing +30: Indigenous Women in Action,” which reveals both the critical situation faced by Indigenous Women and the transformative solutions they are already leading in response to the climate crisis, structural inequalities, and systemic violence.
The document presents concrete evidence of the challenges faced by Indigenous Women worldwide and documents initiatives led by them in various regions to address these inequalities. The report sends an urgent message: to continue ignoring this leadership is to squander some of the most effective and sustainable solutions to the climate, human rights, and social justice crises that threaten the world today.
The report is enriched by the direct contributions of Indigenous Women and Youth from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, and the Arctic, who are implementing effective solutions and strategies to protect their territories, cultures, and ways of life on the planet. These proposals, which integrate ancestral knowledge with science and technology, not only respond to local challenges but can also be adapted and replicated in different contexts around the world. The document presents a solid base of qualitative and quantitative evidence on the challenges they face and the solutions implemented.
More than asking for support, they propose reciprocity, shifting the traditional narrative and making visible what women from different Indigenous Peoples are already doing for the planet, despite facing systemic violence and receiving merely 1.4% of the global funding allocated to women and girls.
“Funding must reach grassroots organizations and influence local and regional governments to achieve the implementation of GR39, and to secure its application worldwide,” stated Tarcila Rivera Zea (Quechua, Peru), founder of FIMI.
The Federal Government of Nigeria on Friday, June 20, 2025, reiterated its commitment toward protecting and assisting all the 138,154 refugees in the country to rebuild their lives.
Refugees
Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), expressed the commitment at the 2025 World Refugee Day in Abuja.
World Refugee Day is celebrated on June 20 of every year to raise awareness on refugees’ situations around the world.
The theme for this year’s Day is: “Solidarity with Refugees: A call to Action for Inclusion”.
Ahmed noted that the figures represented registered refugees and asylum seekers living in 33 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He explained that the forcibly displaced persons originated from 48 countries, with six nationalities – Cameroon, Niger, Syria, Central African Republic and Sudan making up 86 per cent.
Out of the 138,154 refugees and asylum seekers in Nigeria, he said that there were 32,746 awaiting registration.
“We have 16,215 returnees and 1,396 spontaneous returnees, while the IDPs we have in camps are 3,576,100,” he said.
Ahmed further stated that the IDPs, when added those living outside the camps, that is, the ones living within host communities, would be no fewer than 6.2 million, with many of them innocent women and children.
“So as we celebrate the World Refugee Day, we recognise the contributions refugees have made to our communities.
“It is an invitation to honour refugees’ voices, strengthen community ties and amplify the need for inclusion in national systems, such as social protection and local development frameworks,” he said.
According to him, the objective of the commemoration of World Refugee Day is to celebrate the resilience of refugees and to reiterate the need for countries to support millions of families all over the world who have lost their homes because of violence or war.
“It is a day to recognise the challenges and hardship that refugees face but honour their courage and resilience in the face of overwhelming obstacles and above all, we celebrate their many valuable contributions to nation building.
“As the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, together with our partners, we are proud to have played a crucial role in protecting and assisting refugees in Nigeria,” he added.
Ahmed said that over the years, the commission had worked tirelessly to ensure that refugees received the support they needed to rebuild their lives.
He listed some notable achievements of the commission to include: provision of protection and assistance to thousands of refugees, ensuring their safety and dignity and voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees from the neighboring countries of Cameroon and Chad.
Meanwhile, the Filippo Grandi-United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called for collective efforts among countries toward protecting displaced persons in the society.
Represented by Bernadette Muteshi, Grandi stressed the need for supporting the host countries and communities by sharing the responsibility of protecting refugees.
“We must stand with refugees to keep alive their hopes of a better future.
“This World Refugee Day and every day, governments, institutions, companies and individuals can prove that by helping those caught up in senseless conflicts, we move towards greater stability, humanity and justice for us all.
“If we do so, I can promise you that refugees will bring all their courage, spirit and ingenuity to the task of creating a better and brighter tomorrow,” he said.
On his part, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, described the World Refugee Day as a call to action, saying that refugees were not just statistics but fathers, mothers and children whose lives were interrupted.
Represented by the Director of Humanitarian in the ministry, Hajia Jummai Katagun, Yilwatda reaffirmed government’s commitment to the Global Compact on Refugees to ensure, not just protection but opportunity, safety and belonging.
“They are our neighbours and we must let no borders define our humanity. As crises grow more complex, from violent conflicts to climate displacement, so too must our response grow more courageous.
“As the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, our vision is to build a nation where no displaced person is left behind, where every refugee can rise, rebuild and thrive,” the minister said.
At the ongoing 62nd Session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) in Bonn, Germany, Aishat A. Barde, Commissioner of Environment and Climate Change of Taraba State in Nigeria, made a strong case for the inclusion and empowerment of subnational actors in the evolving Global Climate Action Agenda as the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Aishat A. Barde, Taraba State Commissioner of Environment and Climate Change (third from right) at the Bonn Climate Change Conference in Germany
Speaking on Friday, June 20, 2025, during a high-level session led by the incoming COP30 Presidency and the UN Climate High-Level Champions, Barde answered critical intervention questions: What have your initiatives been able to deliver so far? And how can the framework that we just presented support you in delivering more and faster?
In her remarks, Barde highlighted Taraba State’s dual reality: a region blessed with rich biodiversity, cultural heritage, natural resources and diverse ecological zones such as the iconic Gashaka Gumti National Park, yet increasingly vulnerable to the escalating impacts of climate change, including flooding, drought, soil erosion, and desertification.
Barde emphasised that while global ambition is vital, implementation is local. She outlined a number of bold climate initiatives Taraba State has already undertaken that align with the themes of the emerging Global Climate Action Agenda:
Institutional Reform: The transformation of the Ministry of Environment into the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to mainstream climate governance and enhance inter-agency coordination.
Community Engagement: Targeted awareness campaigns on climate change across local communities, with special emphasis on mobilizing women through clean cooking initiatives.
Budgetary Commitment: In 2024, the State dedicated 5% of its budget to the Re-Greening Taraba Initiative, advancing afforestation and sustainable environmental practices.
Massive Tree-Planting Campaign: A successful 2 million tree planting drive, featuring a mix of economic and native species to combat land degradation and enhance carbon sequestration.
The State’s government Strategic Planning: through the drafted first-ever Climate Change Policy and Action Plan, laying out a pathway to a climate-resilient Taraba by 2060. The plan ambitious targets as: 90% renewable energy penetration by 2060; 30% reduction in transport sector emissions by 2030; Large-scale restoration of degraded lands through afforestation; and Promotion of climate smart Agricultural and livestock practices.
Call for Global Support
Commissioner Barde used the platform to call for deeper partnerships and support from international institutions and climate finance mechanisms: “Subnational governments are closest to the risks – and to the solutions.”
She acknowledged the growing support from partners like the Federal Ministry of Environment, National Council on Change Secretariat, Under2 Coalition, and Afrange African Climate Foundation, but stressed the urgent need for capacity building, technology transfer, and direct access to climate finance, particularly grants-based climate funds for adaptation and mitigation projects.
Conclusion
The intervention underscored how subnational entities like Taraba State are not only willing but capable of delivering transformative climate solutions – if empowered. As the world looks toward COP30, voices like Taraba’s are essential in shaping a truly inclusive, action-oriented global climate agenda.
In commemoration of the 2025 World Environment Day, International Breweries Plc (IBPLC), a proud part of AB InBev (the world’s largest brewer) and the producer of Trophy Lager, Trophy Extra Stout, Hero Lager, Castle Lite and Budweiser, carried out a series of environmental activities across its operational sites in Nigeria.
L-R: Communications and Sustainability Manager, International Breweries PLC, Damian Igwe; Regional Manager, Recycling, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Kehinde Ruqayah; Executive Director, Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Agharese Onaghise; Director of Administration, World Safety Organization, Emmanuel Abayowa, and Head of Operations, Zone 12, Alausa, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA). Olufemi Ajayi, at the community education/awareness on plastic recycling and a campaign against plastic waste pollution in commemoration of World Environment Day in Ikeja, Lagos
The activities were conducted under the framework of Africa Sustainability Week, an AB InBev regional initiative designed to drive awareness and coordinated sustainability efforts across the company’s key markets in the continent.
Across all five locations, including Abuja, International Breweries employees, local partners, and community volunteers participated in riverbank cleanups and community education targeting rivers and public spaces. The company said the efforts were aimed at reducing plastic pollution in urban and semi-urban environments, while also fostering environmental responsibility among residents.
“Sustainability is not just a corporate goal, it is a way of life for us at International Breweries,” said Carlos Coutino, Managing Director of International Breweries PLC. “We are proud to join the world in celebrating this important day by taking real action from restoring land and cleaning our rivers to promoting circularity in packaging. We believe in leaving the environment better than we met it, and that requires commitment, collaboration, and consistency.”
Continuing, Coutino said: “We had made circular packaging a key focus of our sustainability strategy. Over95% of our product portfolio is packaged in returnable glass bottles, a measure aimed at reducing waste and supporting reuse models in line with our circular economy sustainability pillar.”
In addition, International Breweries recovered over 200,000 kilogrammes of post-consumer PET and flexible plastic from the environment in 2024 through its partnership with the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA). The effort is part of its compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and broader environmental stewardship goals.
“We recognise that our responsibility to the environment extends beyond compliance, it’s about leadership and long-term impact,” said Temitope Oguntokun, Corporate Affairs & Regulatory Director at International Breweries. “That’s why we’ve set bold 2025 goals to ensure 100% of our product packaging is either returnable or made from predominantly recycled materials. These aren’t just targets they’re part of our core purpose to create a future with more cheers, for people and the planet.”
At each brewery location, the company also engaged with residents and local authorities through sensitisation campaigns. In Lagos, waste sorting demonstrations and plastic recycling talks were held to improve public awareness on how individual behaviours impact the environment.
“Our collaboration with manufacturers like International Breweries is a demonstration of our collective commitment to beat plastic pollution,” said Agharese Onaghise, Executive Director of the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance. “By supporting community-based recovery and launching collection hubs in places like Osogbo, Mararaba and Nasarawa, we are helping ensure post-consumer packaging is diverted from waterways and landfills into recycling value chains.”
Government representatives present at some of the activities also acknowledged the impact of the clean-up initiatives. In Rivers State, Sir Alwell Chinedum Okereuku JP, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, commended the efforts of International Breweries and other partners.
“International Breweries’s consistent efforts to tackle plastic pollution have not gone unnoticed,” he said. “We are proud of this collaboration and will continue to partner to protect our environment. This is not just about stakeholders, it’s about shared ownership of our future.”
Beyond environmental actions, International Breweries is also supporting sustainability through its Kickstart youth entrepreneurship programme, which has funded several startups in the recycling and waste-to-wealth sectors. The company noted that its support for small-scale circular economy ventures complements its operational sustainability efforts.
International Breweries Plc is a proud part of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the world’s largest brewer with over 500 brands. As part of a global brand, International Breweries has a dream of bringing people together for a Future with More Cheers through the building of great brands that stand the test of time using the finest natural ingredients.
The hosts of the most recent UN climate talks are worried international lenders are retreating from their commitments to help boost funding for developing countries’ response to global warming.
Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President
This anxiety has grown as the Trump administration has slashed foreign aid and discouraged US-based development lenders like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund from focussing on climate finance.
Developing nations, excluding China, will need an estimated $1.3 trillion a year by 2035 in financial assistance to transition to renewable energy and climate-proof their economies from increasing weather extremes.
But nowhere near this amount has been committed.
At last year’s UN COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, rich nations agreed to increase climate finance to $300 billion a year by 2035, an amount decried as woefully inadequate.
Azerbaijan and Brazil, which is hosting this year’s COP30 conference, have launched an initiative to plug the shortfall that includes expectations of “significant” contributions from international lenders.
But so far only two – the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank – have responded to a call to engage the initiative with ideas, said COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev.
“We call on their shareholders to urgently help us to address these concerns,” he told climate negotiators at a high-level summit in the German city of Bonn this week.
“We fear that a complex and volatile global environment is distracting” many of those expected to play a big role in bridging the climate finance gap, he added.
His team travelled to Washington in April for the IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings hoping to find the same enthusiasm for climate lending they had encountered a year earlier.
But instead they found institutions “very much reluctant now to talk about climate at all”, said Azerbaijan’s top climate negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev.
This was a “worrisome trend”, he said, given expectations these lenders would extend the finance needed in the absence of other sources.
“They’re very much needed,” he said.
The United States, the World Bank’s biggest shareholder, has sent a different message.
On the sidelines of the April Spring meetings, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the bank to focus on “dependable technologies” rather than “distortionary climate finance targets.”
This could mean investing in gas and other fossil fuel-based energy production, he said.
Money matters
Under the Paris Agreement, wealthy developed countries – those most responsible for global warming to date – are obligated to pay climate finance to poorer nations.
But other countries, most notably China, do make their own voluntary contributions.
Finance is a source of long-running tensions at UN climate negotiations.
Donors have consistently failed to deliver on past finance pledges, and committed well below what experts agree developing nations need to prepare for the climate crisis.
The issue flared again this week in Bonn, with nations at odds over whether to debate financial commitments from rich countries during the formal meetings.
European nations have also pared back their foreign aid spending in recent months, raising fears that budgets for climate finance could also face a haircut.
At COP29, multilateral development banks (MDBs) led by the World Bank Group estimated they could provide $120 billion annually in climate financing to low and middle income countries, and mobilise another $65 billion from the private sector by 2030.
Their estimate for high income countries was $50 billion, with another $65 billion mobilised from the private sector.
Rob Moore, of policy think tank E3G, said these lenders are the largest providers of international public finance to developing countries.
“Whilst they are facing difficult political headwinds in some quarters, they would be doing both themselves and their clients a disservice by disengaging on climate change,” he said.
The World Bank in particular has done “a huge amount of work” to align its lending with global climate goals.
“If they choose to step back this would be at their own detriment, and other banks like the regionally based MDBs would likely play a bigger role in shaping the economy of the future,” he said.
The World Bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Skilled Women Initiative (TSWINI), an NGO, has trained and empowered 30 underserved women on the services of electric tricycle, locally known as Keke NAPEP, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A cross section of women trained on electric tricycle services by The Skilled Women Initiative (TSWINI) in Abuja
The comprehensive training offered modules on electric vehicle assembly, driving, maintenance, troubleshooting, safety, and clean energy use.
According to the organisers, the four-week hands-on training was executed through the NGO’s flagship RideVolt Electric Mobility Programme, aimed at reducing carbon emissions, promoting economic sustainability and tackling the rising cost of fuel.
In her remarks at the graduation ceremony on Friday, June 20, 2025, Chisom Nwankwo, founder of TSWINI and the RideVolt Programme, said the programme aligned Nigeria’s green energy trajectory with gender-inclusive economic growth.
According to her, the training is a flagship initiative of TSWINI in collaboration with other stakeholders .
She said the 30 women, most of whom were previously unemployed or underemployed, now possess practical skills that position them as pioneer contributors in Nigeria’s emerging green economy.
“Our goal is to place these women at the center of the clean mobility revolution, and we have empowered each with an electric mobility tool box as starter packs.
“By equipping them with electric vehicle skills, we are opening up sustainable income opportunities while addressing transportation challenges and climate goals; these women will not only drive change, but they will also steer it.
“The RideVolt by TSWINI programme’s impact reaches beyond individual empowerment; we are building the future of transportation ,one woman, one electric vehicle at a time.
“As these women prepare to be employed as drivers and operators of RideVolt’s clean mobility services across estates, universities, hospitals, and markets, their work will directly reduce local air pollution and decrease reliance on fossil-fuel-based transport.
“The ripple effect of this is cleaner communities, improved public health, and inclusive economic participation particularly for women and youth,” she said.
Nwankwo said TSWINI plans to expand the programme to other parts of Nigeria and scale its clean transportation and energy offerings.
She therefore urged stakeholders, including development agencies, government bodies, and private sector players to support the next cohort of trainees, to help establish female-led e-mobility hubs, and invest in localised manufacturing of e-mobility components.
According to her, 10 women out of the 30 trained will automatically be employed under the Skilled Women’s RideVolt and VoltHub programmes of the organisation.
She said they would be employed as drivers and operators in the Closed User Community Drive Programme for estates, universities, among other areas.
“These 10 women will start work by September this year, and the Skilled Women’s RideVolt will provide vehicles, mobile charging units for them, and onboard them.
“There is going to be a driving app, and this will offer them opportunities in different fields, the empowerment and engagement will continue in phases for others,” she said.
A partnership between the African Wildlife Foundation and Cameroon’s government has helped increase the number of endangered Kordofan giraffes in Faro National Park from scattered sightings to 21 identified animals within two years.
Some giraffes in the park
The Kordofan giraffe population has declined by more than 40% over the past 30 years due to poaching and habitat loss, with animals hunted for their skin, bones and tail hairs used in traditional ceremonies and crafts.
“Giraffe conservation today requires more than just protecting a species; it demands that we rethink how we manage ecosystems under pressure,” said Dr. Philip Muruthi, vice president of species conservation and science at the African Wildlife Foundation.
“The Kordofan giraffe, with its shrinking range and dwindling numbers, is a signal that the systems we rely on are under stress.”
The conservation program, supported by the European Union and other donors, focuses on tracking giraffe populations, restoring habitats through science-based monitoring and working with local conservation leaders and ecoguards.
In 2021, Kordofan giraffes were spotted in only a few locations within the park. By 2023, conservationists had identified 21 giraffes across a larger area through increased patrols and monitoring tools, including camera traps.
“Every giraffe we identify is a sign that protection is possible when the people closest to the problem are also part of the solution,” said Anthony Agbor, AWF’s Faro Landscape Director.
“We’re not managing wildlife in isolation; we’re managing a future for this landscape.”
The giraffes face additional pressure from seasonal cattle migrations that displace them from their habitat.
Northern Cameroon’s Faro National Park represents one of the last remaining habitats for the subspecies.
As browsers reaching up to 18 feet tall, giraffes help maintain ecosystem health by shaping vegetation and spreading seeds that support plant growth and biodiversity across the park.
The African Wildlife Foundation works across multiple African countries to protect giraffes, having secured critical habitats for over 24% of Africa’s remaining giraffes to reach 82% by 2030.
The organisation’s strategy includes habitat protection, anti-poaching efforts, community engagement, research and policy support, with emphasis on training local wildlife scouts and monitors.
“The story of the Kordofan giraffe in Faro is not just one of survival; it’s about rebuilding trust between people, wildlife, and the land,” Agbor said.
“Our progress didn’t come from chance; it came from sustained presence, consistent monitoring, and local partnerships that respect both ecological needs and community realities.”
Muruthi cautioned that long-term success requires continued investment and policy coordination across giraffe range states.
“What’s happening in Faro is encouraging, but it also reminds us that recovery is fragile without long-term investment and policy coherence across Africa’s giraffe range states,” he said.
Kenya and Senegal tied for first place in the African Development Bank’s 2024 Electricity Regulatory Index, which measures power sector governance and regulatory performance across 43 African countries.
Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, AfDB
The comprehensive assessment, unveiled Friday, June 20, 2025, at the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, showed Uganda, Liberia and Niger completing the top five performers, with Niger recording one of the biggest improvements.
Both Kenya and Senegal scored 0.892 points, reflecting strong progress in tariff reform, regulatory outcomes and utility performance, according to the index results.
The study found that 41 of 43 participating countries achieved regulatory governance scores above 0.5, a significant increase from 24 countries in 2022. Countries scoring below 0.5 dropped from 19 in 2022 to six in 2024.
The regulatory outcomes index, which tracks service delivery and utility performance, showed the most substantial improvement, surging from roughly 0.40 in 2022 to 0.62 in 2024.
“The 2024 ERI shows that Africa’s regulators are stepping up,” said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, AfDB vice president for power, energy, climate and green growth.
“We are now seeing stronger institutions delivering real results for utilities and consumers. This shift is critical if we are to achieve Mission 300 and connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030.”
The index evaluates three dimensions: regulatory governance, regulatory substance and regulatory outcomes. Even the lowest-performing country tripled its score from about 0.10 to 0.33.
For the first time, the 2024 index assessed regional regulatory bodies, recognising their role in harmonising technical standards and enabling cross-border electricity trade.
The report identified priority areas for improvement, including strengthening regulatory independence, enhancing accountability mechanisms, promoting transparency and improving stakeholder participation.
“The ERI 2024 tells a hopeful story,” said Wale Shonibare, director for energy financial solutions, policy and regulation at the bank.
“African countries are not just passing laws – they are implementing them. Regulators are transforming from administrative bodies into strategic institutions with measurable influence.”
However, challenges related to independence, financing and enforcement persist, the report noted.
The index continues to inform the design of national energy compacts, currently active in 12 countries with another 20 in development as part of the Mission 300 initiative to expand electricity access.
Launched in 2018, the Electricity Regulatory Index serves as a diagnostic tool for governments, regulators and development partners to identify gaps and track reform progress.
A coalition of civil society organisations says it stands in solidarity with King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV of Ekpetiama Kingdom and Chair of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, as the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, convened on Friday, June 20, 2025, for the first hearing of the suit filed against Shell, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Attorney General of the Federation.
King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV of Ekpetiama Kingdom (right) with Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) *
The coalition involves Social Action Nigeria, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), International Working Group on Petroleum Pollution and the Just Transition in the Niger Delta (IWG), Bayelsa State Non-Governmental Organisations Forum (BANGOF), HEDA Resource Centre, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, and others.
The suit challenges Shell’s attempt to divest its onshore oil assets and exit the Niger Delta without first decommissioning obsolete infrastructure, remediating environmental damage, and compensating the Ekpetiama people for long-standing harm.
It raises fundamental issues about the constitutional and environmental rights of the Niger Delta’s indigenous communities, Shell’s corporate liability, and the Nigerian government’s responsibility to protect its citizens.
A struggle for justice and dignity in the Niger Delta
In the statement of claim, King Dakolo outlines how Shell’s operations in the Gbarain oil fields – located within the Ekpetiama Kingdom in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State -have led to massive oil spills, gas flaring, and the destruction of fishing and farming livelihoods. The community’s rivers, forests, and farmlands have been rendered toxic and unsustainable for life and livelihoods.
The plaintiffs argue that Shell’s planned divestment of its interest in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) without fulfilling its environmental obligations in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution and laws is illegal and unjust, and that the Nigerian state, through the Minister of Petroleum Resources, NUPRC, and the Attorney General, has failed in its duty to prevent such corporate evasion of responsibility.
King Dakolo and the Ekpetiama people seek to stop Shell’s planned divestment until Shell accounts for its environmental devastation, remediates polluted sites, decommissions obsolete infrastructure, and compensates the host communities affected by over six decades of irresponsible oil extraction.
The suit, it was gathered, represents a stand for the rights of host communities and the rule of law in Nigeria. The plaintiffs are asking the court to:
Declare that Shell’s proposed divestment without environmental remediation and decommissioning is unlawful;
Compel the NUPRC and federal authorities to fulfill their constitutional and statutory responsibilities;
Uphold the constitutional rights of affected communities under the Nigerian Constitution (right to life and dignity);
Prevent the transfer of assets and liabilities to successor companies without legal and environmental accountability.
According to Barrister Chuks Uguru, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, “this action against SPDC, Shell Corporation, Renaissance Group, and federal agents is over the unlawful divestment of oil assets in Ekpetiama Kingdom whose members have the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter.”
Backed by facts: the Bayelsa Commission report
The case is said to be grounded in the extensive findings of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC), composed of experts from Europe, North America, and Africa. The Commission revealed that:
Bayelsa State suffers from some of the worst oil pollution levels in the world, resulting from the operations of Shell and other international oil companies;
Over 1.5 million people in Bayelsa are impacted by hydrocarbon pollution;
Communities have been exposed to Chromium, benzene and other cancer-causing chemicals far exceeding World Health Organization safety limits;
Oil spills have contaminated nearly all primary water sources, forcing residents to rely on visibly polluted creeks and ponds;
Soil samples revealed extremely high levels of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), rendering lands unfit for agriculture;
Air quality measurements near Shell facilities recorded particulate matter and soot far above permissible health thresholds;
In some communities, fish stocks have declined by over 70%, impacting food security and livelihoods;
Shell and other oil companies have failed to carry out proper decommissioning and cleanup, leaving rusting, leaking pipelines and abandoned wellheads that continue to pollute.
Shell, the largest operator, was named as a primary culprit.
“This divestment is a crude attempt by Shell to run away from the disaster it created,” said King Bubaraye Dakolo. “We demand justice, not abandonment. Shell must clean up, compensate, and decommission. Only then can it leave.”
This is a test case for corporate accountability
The case has drawn broad support from national and international civil society groups concerned about environmental justice and a just energy transition.
“Shell wants to exit with profit, leaving behind toxic air, poisoned water, and broken communities,” said Dr. Isaac Asume Osuoka, Director of Social Action Nigeria. “We are here to say: no more. Planned onshore asset selloffs by transnational oil corporations must not become a license to flee environmental accountability in the Niger Delta extraction sites, which is home to human beings.”
“The Niger Delta cannot be a sacrificial zone for fossil fuel greed,” added Reverend Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF). “We stand in solidarity with King Dakolo and the people of Ekpetiama Kingdom in demanding that Shell pay for the damage it has done before it walks away.”
“The evidence is clear. Seventy years of fossil fuel production in Nigeria’s Niger Delta has destroyed ecosystems, economies, environments and human habitats. If just transition is to be more than just a slogan, clean up, restoration, and repair must be mandatory for oil companies divesting, before they up sticks and leave,” said Dr. Kathryn Nwajiaku‑Dahou, Director of the Politics and Governance Programme at ODI Global and co-Convener of the IWG.
International dimensions: precedent for transition justice
Developments in the Niger Delta, which contains the most polluted oil and gas production sites in the world world, have relevance for the global transition away from fossil fuels. That is why this case poses urgent questions about what a just transition means for communities here and others in the tropical regions of the Global South, which are at the frontlines of fossil extraction.
“This case sets a precedent in Nigeria, the Gulf of Guinea region, and globally,” said Professor Engobo Emeseh, Head of the School of Law at the University of Bradford, United Kingdom, speaking for the Legal and Justice Committee of the IWG. “It says clearly: there can be no just energy transition without corporate accountability, environmental restoration, and community consent.”
“This is a crucial moment in Nigeria’s environmental and legal history,” according to Olanrewaju Suraju, Director of HEDA Resource Centre. “The court has a unique opportunity to uphold justice, protect the rule of law, and demonstrate that no corporation is above accountability in Nigeria.”
The latest batch of undergraduates from Nigerian universities have commenced their Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), using the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge and skills in the oil and gas industry.
Ronald Adams, Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo.)
The 28 interns drawn from 17 universities, will serve for six months and gain valuable insights on the operations of a company which pioneered the development of a new generation of Nigerian professionals in the deep-water sector when it started production at Bonga in 2005.
“We’re pleased to continue with efforts to grow indigenous talent in deep-water oil and gas operations through the work placement programme,” said SNEPCo Managing Director, Ronald Adams. “The programme offers exciting opportunities for young talents to grow their potentials in the oil and gas industry”
The interns, some of whom are also recipients of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC-SNEPCo scholarship programmes, have been speaking about their hopes and ambitions in the scheme.
A resident of Maiduguri and student of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maiduguri, Ayuba Haruna, who was displaced by the security crisis in the Northeast, won the NNPC-SNEPCo scholarship award in 2023, and is now an intern. He said: “NNPC-SNEPCo’s investment in education and young Nigerians like me has not only changed my life — it has given me purpose, direction, and a chance to build a better future.”
“I’m stepping into this role ready to learn, contribute, and be part of something truly bigger than myself,” said Kester Chukwumezie, a student of Electronic and Computer Engineering at Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
Two interns, Miss Ulan Andrew and Joseph Agom, have been beneficiaries of the NNPC-SNEPCo National Cradle to Career and university scholarships. Miss Andrew, who is studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Ilorin, described the internship as “truly a dream come true and the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Joseph, a student of Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, said: I’m deeply grateful to be a product of Shell’s long-term investment in education, and now part of the next generation learning from the very best.”
Another intern, Miss Oluwehinmi Oluwayemisi, a student of Industrial Mathematics/Computer Science at Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, expressed gratitude for the “amazing opportunities” offered by the scheme.
The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme is just one aspect of the investments in education by NNPC SNEPCo and Co-venturers, which include scholarship awards and donation of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) facilities to tertiary institutions.
Over 600 undergraduates have benefitted from the NNPC-SNEPCo National University Scholarship Award since its inception in 2016, while 32 ICT projects have been donated to secondary schools and universities around the country since 2007.
