Ogoni Women Threaten Nude Protest Over Planned Resumption Of Oil Exploration By Tinubu Govt

A coalition of Ogoni women groups has threatened to embark on a nude protest should the federal government actualize its plans to resume oil exploration in the region.

The Ogoni women submitted that it is wrong of the government to resume any form of oil exploration in the region without resolving the issues that led to the suspension of the exploration in the 1990s.

The women, in a joint statement by 15 groups under the aegis of the Ogoni Women Coalition for Sustainable Environment, charged the administration of President Bola Tinubu to halt exploration plans until the issues affecting the region are fully resolved.

Leader of Mba Okase Initiative, Dr. Patience Osaroejiji, vowed that Ogoni women would take to the streets naked if the government proceeds with the oil resumption.

“If the government disregards our position and goes ahead with oil exploration, we, the women of Ogoni, will come out en masse and protest naked until the world hears us,” she declared.

She condemned the exclusion of Ogoni women from the consultations regarding exploration activities in the region.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Lezina Pat Ntetep, Coordinator of Eedee Ladies of Tai, stated that Ogoni women have endured years of environmental devastation caused by oil extraction and are unwilling to relive the same experience.

She stressed that the issues raised in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, which led to the suspension of oil activities, remain unresolved.

“It is disconcerting that in the rush to resume oil extraction, concerns in the Ogoni Bill of Rights remain unaddressed. Families who lost loved ones, livelihoods, and properties due to repression have not received justice,” Ntetep stated.

The Demands

The women called on the federal government to:

Halt any planned oil activities in Ogoniland.

Prioritize environmental restoration and complete the UNEP cleanup.

Decommission outdated oil infrastructure to prevent further ecological damage.

Restore lost livelihoods and compensate affected communities.

Ensure justice for victims of past repression and violence.

“Instead of rushing to extract oil, the government should focus on ecological redemption, replacing lost livelihoods, and securing justice for Ogonis still seeking closure,” Ntetep added.

According to them, no oil exploration activities would be allowed in the region until all their demands are met.