Social Action Backs CSOs, Niger Delta Communities’ Demand to Stop Oil Extraction
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Halt the Oil Extraction: 30 Years After Saro-Wiwa, the Niger Delta Still Bleeds
Social Action joined an active group of civil rights organisations to demand a halt to oil extraction in the Niger Delta and the comprehensive clean-up of Ogoniland and the entire region from decades of oil and hydrocarbon pollution of soil and water. The call came on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the judicial murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the “Ogoni Nine” under the Abacha regime.
At a series of press conferences and commemorative events held in September 2025, civil society organisations (CSOs) invoked the legacy of Ken Saro-Wiwa to renew calls for environmental justice, accountability of multinational oil corporations, and meaningful government action to reverse decades of ecological destruction in the Niger Delta.
Social Action’s Role and Representation
Social Action was actively represented by Dr. Prince Edegbuo, Senior Programmes Officer, who reinforced the organisation’s long-standing commitment to environmental justice and resource governance in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Dr. Edegbuo stressed that:
- The ecological disaster in Ogoniland remains one of the most severe in the world, with communities forced to drink contaminated water, farm on degraded soil, and live amidst oil-soaked mangroves.
- Cleanup efforts must be comprehensive, transparent, and inclusive of local communities, ensuring that remediation directly benefits those most affected.
- Any attempt to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland without full remediation would amount to a betrayal of justice and a reopening of old wounds.
In his words, Dr Nnimo Bassey, the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) opined that “there must be a thorough and transparent cleanup of Ogoniland and the entire Niger Delta region.” He warned that attempts to reopen oil wells in Ogoniland against the will of the people risk reopening old wounds and show that the lessons from Saro-Wiwa’s struggle remain unlearned.
Comrade stressed that Ogoni people do not want oil drilling but a proper cleanup of their polluted environment and justice for the lives lost during the struggles.
While speaking, Kentebe Ebiaridor noted that government and oil companies must stop paying lip service, saying what Ogoni and Niger Delta communities need is action — a committed $1 trillion fund for cleanup, not endless promises.
Collaborations and Coalition Building
Social Action worked in close collaboration with a wide coalition of civil society organisations, including:
- Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), led by Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, who chairs the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Anniversary Planning Committee.
- Environmental Rights Action / Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN)
- Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)
- Miidekor Environmental Development Initiative
- OilWatch International
- Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre
- We The People
- Lekeh Development Foundation
- Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA)
This coalition drew strength from the diversity of organisations, uniting local community groups, environmental experts, women’s organisations, and advocacy networks into a single platform of resistance against ongoing ecological injustice.
Key Messages and Demands
The coalition, including Social Action, advanced the following urgent demands:
- Exoneration, Not Pardon
The Nigerian government must formally exonerate Ken Saro-Wiwa and the “Ogoni Nine,” recognising that they were wrongfully executed for their peaceful activism - Comprehensive Cleanup of Ogoniland and the Niger Delta
- Cleanup must be scientific, verifiable, community-driven, and properly funded.
- Polluted water must be detoxified, mangroves regenerated, and farmlands restored
- Rejection of Oil Drilling in Ogoniland
Resumption of oil extraction is unacceptable until ecological restoration is completed. Communities must not be subjected to further degradation - Corporate Accountability
Multinational oil companies must be held legally and financially responsible for decades of pollution and human rights abuses. - Financial Commitment
The coalition demanded a $1 trillion fund to address the full scale of pollution in Ogoniland and the broader Niger Delta, noting that anything less would be inadequate given the magnitude of the environmental disaster
Conclusion
Through its active participation in the coalition and representation by Dr. Prince Edegbuo, Social Action reaffirmed its commitment to the struggles of the Niger Delta communities and the ideals for which Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine gave their lives.
Together with partners, Social Action is demanding justice, restoration, and dignity for the people of Ogoniland. As the anniversary rekindles the global memory of state violence and ecological destruction, Social Action stands firm in ensuring that history does not repeat itself, and that true remediation and justice are finally delivered to the Niger Delta.
