By Tracy Ohovwore
The Ecological Action Advocacy Foundation, TEAAF, has organised a one-day Power Shift Community Dialogue in Gelegele community, Edo State, aimed at strengthening collective action, restoring hope and building a more resilient and united community.
The dialogue, held on December 22, 2025, brought together community members, women leaders, youths and other stakeholders to examine how power dynamics and weak citizen participation have affected access to basic amenities and environmental justice in Gelegele.
The session focused on the need for joint efforts that allow community members to openly express their concerns and ensure their voices are heard by relevant authorities. Participants agreed that meaningful development can only occur when people are actively involved in shaping decisions that affect their lives.
Speaking on the theme, “Building Community Power for Resilience and Resistance,” facilitators stressed the importance of building people’s power as a pathway to climate justice. They noted that every member of the community has the capacity to drive change and contribute to improving living conditions in Gelegele.
The dialogue also highlighted the critical role of gender inclusion in addressing climate-related challenges such as environmental pollution and degradation. Participants noted that the growing impacts of climate change demand equal participation of women and men in the fight for justice and sustainable solutions.
Community members and stakeholders were further sensitised on the need to build people’s power as part of policy implementation, stressing that development efforts are more effective when driven from the grassroots.
At the event, participants were encouraged to take personal and collective responsibility for protecting the environment and addressing climate challenges affecting the community.
They were also urged to use their voices as powerful tools to tell the stories of Gelegele, particularly long-standing issues such as poor road networks, inadequate healthcare facilities and the lack of quality schools.
Through interactive discussions, participants learned strategies for making structured demands, engaging policymakers and raising awareness about environmental crises, with a view to mitigation and adaptation.
Speaking to the media, the Programme Coordinator of TEAAF, Ann Ajirioghene Offi, said the dialogue was designed to inspire residents to speak up and defend their community and environment.
She stressed that women’s voices are especially critical in driving change, noting that power dynamics within communities play a major role in shaping development outcomes.
“It is important that women and everyone else are given the space to speak up for change in their community,” Offi said.
“As we can see here today, the women of Gelegele are beginning to get their voices heard and are now confident to speak up in gatherings of this magnitude.”
Also speaking, Comrade Cynthia Bright described Gelegele women as resilient, noting that increased awareness through such engagements has empowered them to speak up and make demands.
“As we know, women suffer the most when a community is destroyed. That is why they must be given a strong voice to speak up and demand change,” she said.
At the close of the dialogue, the people of Gelegele called on the Edo State Government to urgently intervene by fixing the community’s access roads linking it to Benin City.
They also appealed for the construction of a general hospital or the upgrade of the existing health centre to a standard healthcare facility, noting that the current centre lacks basic equipment and capacity to meet the health needs of residents.
Community members lamented that due to poor healthcare services, some residents have lost their lives while being transported to the city for treatment, stressing that urgent government intervention is needed to save lives and improve living conditions in Gelegele.
