Environment
Foundation Holds Dialogues In Rivers Communities
Health of Mother Earth
Foundation (HOMEF), an environmental focused Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has carried out community dialogues in two communities in Rivers State.
The communities are Erema in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area and Goi in Gokana LGA.
The Director of HOMEF, Rev Nnimmo Bassey said the dialogues aimed at raising awareness and seeking community driven solutions to existing environmental challenges.
Representatives from communities in Erema and Goi participated in the sessions tagged “Community Dialogues” which ended last Thursday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony at Erema, Rev Bassey noted that the dialogues are planned for community members to review environmental situations of their communities.
He explained that HOMEF plans to take the community dialogues to other oil producing communities across the Niger Delta region.
The interaction, according to him will also identify needed areas of action to preserve and defend the common heritage of the people of the region.
“Demands for stewardship in relation to how we relate to the gifts of nature are sometimes regarded as affront to political power weilders and corporate entities.
“These political power wielders lay claim to ownership of our lands, waters and several gifts that nature has endowed us with”, he said.
Further, he said these political players were concerned with how to grab votes without telling the people what they would do with the very thing that supports the lives and livelihood of the people.
“ The parties proclaim transformation and change. We have seen change. We are living in change.
“Our waters have been changed into polluted and heavily toxic soups. Our air hangs heavy with noxious fumes.
“The truth is that we have got to the point where we can hardly breath”, he said.
Also speaking, a labour activist and community leader in Erema, Mr Che Ibegwura urged the people to improve their natural habitat which remained their source of life.
He expressed regret that the violent activities against the environment had continued unabated for decades.
Ibegwura explained that this had resulted in poor yields from farm lands and declining quality of life in oil bearing communities.
In his speech, the Ochi Oha of Erema, Chief Odeyi commended HOMEF for building the capacity of the people to protect its environmental assets.
He urged the people to apply the knowledge gained from the sessions in ecological monitoring and defense for the well-being of the community.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.