Deforestation, Mining and Criminal Fiefdoms
Ecological destruction is rarely accidental. It is often enabled by policies that privilege short-term economic gains over long-term public welfare; by weak environmental governance, inadequate regulation, and the persis…
Ecological Time Bombs in the Niger Delta
There are wellheads, manifolds, flow stations, and pipelines that ought to be decommissioned and removed from communities across the Niger Delta by the IOCs and their domestic partners. Nigerian law and regulation requir…
Halting the Disastrous Exploitation of the Niger Delta
Intergenerational justice demands that we wake up and perform our duties for generations yet unborn. It is our duty to see the future, eliminate the perils erected by altars of capital and halt the perpetuation of coloni…
Straight from the Strait of Hormuz
No matter the reason for warfare the environment and the innocent end up bearing the brunt of the inevitable destruction. This fact is clearly illustrated by the several ongoing smoldering and open conflicts that have le…
Defensive GMO regulators
The deployment of products of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continues to raise concerns and resistance, not only in Nigeria but across the world among consumers, researchers, public health experts, food sovereign…
The Force and the Fire at COP30
The opening and closing of COP30 were marked by significant events. Not about climate ambition or high sounding speeches but by unplanned events. First was the determined entry into the COP venue by indigenous protesters…
Ogonize and Yasunize!
As a working definition we see Ogonize and Yasunize to mean “a call for the protection of territories with natural or cultural diversity threatened by serious environmental impacts such as from oil and gas extraction, op…
Rejecting Food Colonialism
According to a popular adage, “when solving a problem, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves”. The challenge of food insecurity in Nigeria/Africa requires a deliberate pause and critical thinking a…
Needed Socioecological Cohesion
The fabric of the social and environmental conditions of Nigeria are literally stretched to the limit. The threats emanate from local and global strands of the polycrisis wracking the globe. Exploitation, displacements, …
The Future is in our Roots
Environment is the tangible and intangible surroundings and the complex ecosystem that humans share with all beings, human and non-human, living and non-living. It is both visible and invisible. This includes the land, w…
Our Ocean and Human Rights
Today we are considering the state of our ocean—not as a commodity to be exploited, but as a common good that sustains life, livelihoods, our culture and spirituality. Our ocean is under siege, and the communities that d…
COP28 and the Evasion of Climate Justice
The foundation for voluntary emissions cut by nations was laid in the Copenhagen Accord (2009) and consolidated in the Paris Agreement (2015) under what is known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). Th…
Extractivism’s Ecological Time Bombs
Extractivism is deeply linked to ecological damage and negation of human rights Ecological damage because it disrupts ecosystems, from the simple case of conversion of land use to the fragmentation of biodiver…
Will COP28 Play With Fire?
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has again issued an Emissions Gap Report that underscores the fact that the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the linchpin of the Paris agreement is not…
Time to Build Solidarity, not Walls
I thank the Chancellor and President, and the entire family of York University for the great honour being extended to me today. Being born at a time we were at the edge of breaking free from colonialism, the notion of i…
