Women leaders and stakeholders from various communities in the Niger Delta have raised strong concerns over gender-based injustice in family inheritance, leadership, and access to natural resources in the region.
They voiced their grievances during a three-day interactive workshop on “Strategic Litigation and Women’s Role in Advancing Justice in the Niger Delta”, organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The event, supported by the Ford Foundation, brought together female traditional rulers, community leaders, market women, journalists, activists, and women living with disabilities.
The training aimed to empower women to use legal tools in promoting transparency, accountability, and participation in the governance of natural resources in oil-producing communities.
Sharing her experience, Mrs. Naamon Grace from K-Dere community in Gokana LGA lamented that women are still excluded from family inheritance despite their contributions to peacebuilding and community development.
She recalled her active role in the Ogoni struggle alongside the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, recounting the hardships endured by women, including rape, torture, and forced displacement during the military clampdown.
“I gave birth in the bush during the crisis, with a broken bottle used to cut my baby’s umbilical cord. By God’s grace, the child survived.
“But today, despite our sacrifices, women like me are not recognised in the ongoing cleanup efforts,” she said, appealing for SERAP’s support to achieve justice.
Peace Mgbenwa, from Okwuisi community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, criticised the exclusion of women from leadership structures, noting that those handpicked by men often fail to defend women’s rights.
“They are more concerned with annual gifts like bags of rice than with our welfare,” she lamented.
Similarly, Martha Egbe, President of the Voice of Eleme Women Association, decried the neglect of women in her community despite hosting over 400 companies.
She highlighted how pollution has devastated farmlands and rivers, leaving women without livelihoods.
“We are the most affected, yet the least remembered. Women should be included in the sharing of benefits, not just burdens,” she stressed.
Responding to the concerns, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, assured participants of the organisation’s commitment to supporting their fight for justice through strategic litigation.
“Our lawyers are here, taking note of these issues. The women will hear from us,” he pledged.
Presenting a report at the workshop, research consultant Emilia Okon identified ignorance and legal illiteracy as major barriers to justice for Niger Delta women.
She called for greater legal literacy campaigns in local languages, combined with economic empowerment initiatives.
Veteran journalist and activist, Constance Meju, also urged intensive sensitisation, warning that “money politics and legal illiteracy” continue to silence women in the region.
Participants were drawn from six Niger Delta states, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers; united in their call for fairness, recognition, and inclusion in decisions affecting their communities.
(This Day)
