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World Earth Day: HOMEF Holds Climate Justice Assembly, Tasks N’Delta Activists On Unity

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5 months ago

April 23, 2025

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

In commemoration of this year’s World Earth Day with the theme: ‘Our Power, Our Planet’, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF ) Tuesday, April 22, 2025, organised a day Climate Assembly/Volunteers Convergence in Benin where unity of purpose amongst Niger Deltans took the centre stage.

The Climate Justice Assembly which drew over 100 participants across oil producing communities in the Niger Delta states, was also attended by government officials, civil society groups, volunteers and students.

Oil extraction impacted communities people from Ogu, Okrika, Eteo, and Joinkrama 1,2,3&4 of Rivers State, Ekpetiama and Ikarama of Bayelsa State, and Iboro, Gelegele and Orhionmwon of Edo State were all in attendance.

Speaking on the sub-topic, ‘Depetrolize’ Not Decarbonize – Time to ‘Ogonize’ and Yusunize – Defining Justice within Climate Justice, Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, said the essence of the Assembly was to stand “together, go to our various communities and demand for climate justice.”

The environmental activist called for unity of purpose amongst Niger Delta CSOs in the call for an alternative to the continuous pollution in the region, just as he called for an urgent move towards renewable energy.

Elaborating on the new words in his topic, Bassey said ‘Ogonizing’ and ‘Yasunizng’ are new words he coined as a way of calling people particularly those affected by oil extraction to learn from the Ogoni and Yasuni people who stopped oil extraction in their domains.

He said: “The Ogoni people were able to stop extraction of crude oil in Ogoniland since 1993. So, we want people all over the world to learn from the Ogoni people by what we call ogonizing. That means to peacefully demand a swift from fossil fuel.”

He added: “We are also calling for people to learn from the people of Ecuador where they also legally stop the extraction of oil in a place called Yasuni National Park. And so, Yusunize and Ogonize are the clarion calls we are making today.”

Also speaking on the sub-topic: Environmental Monitoring as a Tool for Climate Justice, Friday Nbani, lamented that a lot of gas flaring are going on across the Niger Delta hence community people need to equip themselves with modern data collection tools for them to get the appropriate data before they can demand for justice.

Also speaking on the sub-topic: Mobilising for Action – Local Actions for Global Impacts, a renowned mobilizer and coordinator-general of Edo Civil Society Organisations, Leftist Omobude Agho, urged community people to go back to their various communities and take action against pollution and environmental degradation.

Agho, who stressed the need for unity in the struggle, added: “We must all get up and begin to think and share ideas on how to stand against the oppressors.”

He added: “We must mobilise all communities, not just communities affected by oil extraction but every community in the Niger Delta.”

He urged the people to leverage on the Freedom of Information Act to ask questions about pressing issues, saying environmental justice is connected to all and not impacted communities alone.

Okpone Bassey, while speaking on Building Youth Voices for Climate Action – Volunteering vs Action, urged youth to leverage on the social media to speak out against social injustice.

The Assembly climaxed with a panel of discussion where people from impacted communities shared their experiences and the way forward.

Related Topics:HOMEF Nnimmo Bassey World Earth Day

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1 day ago

September 21, 2025

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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

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1 day ago

September 21, 2025

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The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.