…..Calls for communities to ‘Ogonize’ and ‘Yasunize’ their territories
…..pushes for solidarity amongst Niger Delta communities
By Tracy Ohovwore, Benin city
On World Earth Day, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) urged people and communities to challenge and transform exploitative systems that endanger the planet’s and people’s well-being.
At the Climate Justice Assembly on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, HOMEF Executive Director Dr. Nnimmo Bassey discussed the inspiring theme of “Yasunize and Ogonize: People’s Power for Our Planet,” and he issued a warning against corporations profiting from Earth Day, stressing the need for community led resistance.
Dr. Bassey, speaking on behalf of environmental justice advocates and affected communities, criticized transnational corporations for transforming lands into “sacrificial zones,” rivers into “waste bins,” and lives into “collateral damage.”
He emphasized that Earth Day should not be hijacked by greenwashing, but rather remain a day of resistance, justice, and ecological solidarity.
“This is more than just an environmental crisis; it is a power crisis,” Bassey stated. “Capitalism, particularly in its neoliberal and expansionist forms, has waged an unending war on the Earth, ranging from oil wars to land grabs. Our people have not been defeated, however. “We are rising.”
He also praised the Ogoni people of Nigeria, who put an end to crude oil extraction in their region in 1993 and have remained steadfast ever since.
“We call on everyone to stand with the Ogoni people, to Ogonize, and to reject any attempt to reopen Ogoniland’s oil wells,” he said.
He also commended the residents of Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park, where 59% of voters approved the decision to keep almost a billion barrels of oil underground in a 2023 referendum. He claims that this is a historic step that should encourage other countries to “Yasunize” their own regions.
The HOMEF Director called for an immediate end to oil companies’ divestment plans, calling them deceptive practices that shield polluters from accountability.
Along with a fair shift to community-controlled renewable energy, he called for accountability, cleanup, and definitive redress in the Niger Delta regions.
In solidarity with Bassey’s advocacy, other civil societies and and government voices All joined the conversation on Earth Day, amplifying the call for action.
Lekeh Development Foundation Executive Director Friday Nbani emphasized the value of community-led environmental documentation and monitoring.
“Communities must begin to gather evidence of atrocities committed by international oil companies to strengthen legal actions,” he disclosed.
In order to defend impacted communities, the environmental activist called for immediate reforms to make courts more accessible and lamented the challenges of pursuing justice in Nigeria’s legal system.
Elizabeth Jumbo, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agricultural Development Program, cautioned that food security in rural areas is being directly impacted by the ongoing environmental crisis, which includes rising sea levels.
She asserts that “there will be no security at all without food security.” Thus, the need to promote prompt environmental and policy interventions.
With the 2025 theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” this year’s Earth Day highlighted pressing calls for ecological justice, a complete fossil fuel transition, and the overthrow of repressive structures that put profit ahead of people and the environment.
“This day belongs to those who fight,” Bassey declared, “and our struggle is for justice, for Mother Earth, and for the future.”
Additionally, Leftist Omobude Enabulele, a well-known member of the Edo Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO), promoted more intensive and continuous civil society activities.
With the theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” this year’s Earth Day highlighted pressing calls for ecological justice, a complete fossil fuel transition, and the dismantling of repressive systems that prioritize profit over people and the health of the planet.
