The Niger Delta is bleeding. For decades, the region has been defined by the ecological devastation of oil spills, gas flaring, and land grabs—what can only be described as ecocide. At the Port Harcourt Climate Change Conference, YouPaD stood in solidarity with frontline communities to speak truth to power and demand an end to the injustice.
It is not just the land that is hurting; it is the people. Women, children, fishers, and farmers are seeing their lives and livelihoods uprooted by a crisis they did little to cause. We heard their pain, we saw the injustice, but we also witnessed something powerful: an unwavering spirit of resistance. Communities are rising, demanding climate justice not in the distant future, but right now.
The conference ended with a bold declaration that the Niger Delta will no longer be a sacrifice zone for corporate profit. We are done with token gestures and half-measures. Inspired by the immortal words of Ken Saro-Wiwa, we believe that silence in the face of such injustice is treason. At YouPaD, we choose resistance, we choose life, and we choose justice.
“Silence is treason. Resistance is life.” – Ken Saro-Wiwa
Gallery: Voices from the Niger Delta
