GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER ANNUAL NEWSLETTER 2024
As we wrap up our eventful project year calendar, we are delighted to share highlights of our accomplishments from part of 2023 – 2024. Your support has been tremendous and instrumental to our success, leanings and relearning. We are grateful for your continued engagement and collaborations. Special thanks to our funder and partners; African Coal Network (ACN), Community Resource Exchange (CRE), Global Green Grant (GGF), Bank Information Center (BIC). etc
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETING WITH YOUNG WOMEN IN ALODE COMMUNITY, ELEME ON COP28 SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGNS 2023.
CAMPAIGN MESSAGES SHARED FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE by Young Women from Eleme community were asking about the 100 billion dollars funds for the global 100% renewable energy campaign. Community women deserve clean energy.
- Fund loss and damage account be made accessible by all, let community women benefit as women bear the impact of climate change-more.
- Save us from pollution
- End oil & coal mining now
- Leave the coal and the oil in the soil
- Our natural resource is a blessing don’t make it a curse
- stop expansion of coal plants, mines and infrastructure associated with them.
COMMUNITY INCEPTION MEETING /ENGAGEMENT ON AIR POLLUTION ISSUES AND ITS IMPACTS ON WOMEN’S HEALTH.
OUTCOMES: Issues arising from the meeting by women from different communities; It was recorded that the main issue in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State is the issue of AIR POLLUTION- aka BAD AIR as it was called, due to various manufacturing companies that flare gas and dispose chemical substances into the air. Several fertilizer companies and other production companies dispose chemical substances inappropriately in the area, poor waste management mechanisms by companies and the lack of appreciate implementation measures by state /local government /community to managed waste properly with necessary sanctions on polluters.
Aleto Women said there is a chieftaincy tussle in the community - Disunity, Indorama Fertilizer Company pollution – Bad roads, lack of Electricity supply. Water - polluted rain water – health issues – body rashes, heat issues, constant sicknesses and sudden deaths etc. Issue of Herdsmen with their cow -destroying farmlands and planted crops, threats to lives, women are afraid to go to the farm, unemployment, youth restiveness, crimes and insecurity.
Agbonchia community issues – Migration of people due to insecurity, Issue of compensation paid by companies to few people while impact is on everybody, no social services that will reach out to everybody, payment of compensation formula not transparent and accurate, selling out of jobs to outsiders, leadership issues, disunity, gas flare, youth unemployment/education, insecurity, Air pollution, flooding, acid- rain, destruction of roofs, less movement and actions due to threats.
Akpajo community- Lack of water, light, insecurity, only company that have light community are in darkness, leadership issue, unemployment, Petrochemical substances pollute water, gas flare, little benefit bigger impact, skills jobs sold out, no youths empowerment, bad roads, inter-link road bad, herdsmen occupying farms and agricultural practice is affected, hunger and sickness prevail.
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CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING ON THE IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON ELEME WOMEN’S HEALTH FACILITATED BY AN ELEME FEMALE CHEMICAL ENGINEER AND A HEALTH OFFICER FROM ELEME KINGDOM.
Experiences shared on health challenges experienced as a result of air pollution were numerous. Issues such as; respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis and lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks, stroke and cancers were captured. Under reproductive health impacts - birth defects, infertility in women and men, menstrual irregularities, early menopause etc. These are issues that need more sensitization, awareness creation and advocacy campaigns to reduce the impact of Air pollution on women’s health.
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WOMEN CAPACITY BUILDING ON THE USE OF AIR QUALITY MONITORING EQUIPMENT TO CHECK AIR POLLUTION IN ELEME COMMUNITY.
Air Pollution conversation leaves out women’s health. Discussion around it centered on children and low-income households being the worst hit, women are not seen as being as vulnerable as they are despite the mounting evidence. It was against this background that Green Leaf intervened to build the capacity of a cross section of Eleme women to take air quality monitoring as an important activity to ensure environmental sustainability. Air pollution affect women’s health thus, to enable community women use evidence-based data for advocacy against air pollution Green Leaf in partnership with Media Awareness Justice Initiative MAJI as consultants carried out the activity sucessfully.
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ELEME WOMEN CAMPAIGN AGAINST INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION (IFC) FINANCING ELEME PHASE THREE INDORAMA PLANT.
Indorama Fertilizer Company repeatedly violates environmental and social safeguards in project implementation, including violation of Labour law and poor human resources management /staff welfare in Nigeria. A case of a sacked staff of Indorama Fertilizer, was reported to Greenleaf. The victim was the union chairman, sacked based on his request/demand for the implementation of a contract agreement signed with the workers. A lot of labour laws are violated by the standard of operation by Indorama company. Casualization and contract staffing prevails, very hazardous work environment, no personal protection equipment, no tools, using bare hands to load trucks of urea, using shovel to fill bags of urea, cheap labor; one person per shift which should have been 3 persons, no restroom or changing rooms, no place to eat because one can’t leave the plant so one comes with food right inside where urea are produced and bagged. Poor take home, hazard allowance - One Thousand Naira (#1000) less than a dollar, no proper health care services except treatment of malaria, and basic salary of Sixty Thousand Naira per month. In his quest for better services for staffs, he had video evidence of the poor operational environment and sent it to the department of human resources to justify his claims and seeking for redress and implementation of what the company promised. The human resource took it up against him, described it has blackmail, and called him for questioning which led to his suspension and later sacked without benefits. He has demanded for fair hearing and justice. A complaint was sent with the help of our international partner to Compliance Advisory Ombudsman (CAO) an Independent Accountability body in United Kingdom (UK) CAO to review. And it was eligible and assessment process was carried out and awaiting report.
They have triggered conflicts and violence in the community using divide and rule system, give out juicy contracts to empower the cartel, fueled chieftaincy tussle and indirectly influence traditional stools of kingship to some in order to fight against anyone talking against the activities of Indorama fertilizer.
It was reported that the company flagged off the road construction to Onne - Seaport where exportation of their product will be accessible to other countries. The road they are building is in partnership with the state government to aid the exportation of their goods, no Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out on the road and the third plant they are about building, no proper consultations. They are not accountable to the community or local government except state government which they remit huge sums of money as revenue to state. They built First & Second plants without carrying out POST IMPACT ASSESSMENT (PIA) on the Environment, Humans and others, they went ahead for the third plant, not minding the huge impacts. Indorama Fertilizer Company activities are impacting adversely on women’s livelihood source and health. The land has been grabbed, their crops are being destroyed as a result of the road construction but no money was paid for the crops they destroyed putting many women in tears and livelihood denial. On this account Eleme women are crying saying NO TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPRATION (IFC) TO FINANCE INDORAMA ELEME FERTILIZER COMPANY.
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March 5th 2024 GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER Mobilized Eleme Women to say no to INTERNATIONAL FIANCE CORPORATION (IFC) financing Indorama Fertilizer company -not to disburse $ 1.25 billion loan package to the building of line 3 plant. They should carry out post impact assessment of Line 1 & 2 and assess the environmental/sociolect-economic impact of their activities before embarking on building the Line 3 plant.
Demands messaging:
- IFC proposed loan of $1.5 Billion Dollars to finance the phase 3 plant should be suspended.
- Loan should be withheld until existing issues with the host communities are resolved satisfactorily.
- IFC should review Indorama’s compliance with Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) before disbursement of the loan.
- INDORAMA carry out Environmental Audit of ELEME from 20216 - 2024
- Eleme women say; be responsible, manage emission reduction and protect our biodiversity.
- INDORAMA value our Environment and human lives.
- INDORAMA stop disposal of waste inappropriately: the strong smell we inhale is harmful to the body.
We value nature help us protect and preserve it by managing wastes and dispose rightly.
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMNET CENTER ALSO MARKED INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION 2024 WITH ELEME WOMEN WITH THE THEME: “ACCELERATE ACTION’’ speeding up women ‘s equality.
Eleme women raise alarm on emerging issues which they are experiencing and urged the government of Rivers State, Private Sector and Religious Organizations and International bodies to come to their aid. Several issues were raised from Food insecurity/Famine/Hunger/Starvation due to herdsmen destroying farms/ crops with their cows, rapping, killing and kidnapping women while going to farm. Issue of hike in local transportation system within the community due to the high rate of revenue charged them daily by the local government revenue unit and fuel. Lack of portable drinking water and lack of electricity etc. Eleme women lamented and demand quick actions to close women’s inequality gap.
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER MEETING WITH O ELL’A OBOR OF ELEME AND MBAKASE WOMEN, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN ELEMEM IN PREPARATION FOR THE COMING OF COMPLIANCE ADVISOR OMBUDSMAN (CAO) / DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION (DFC) TEAM TO NIGERIA ON THE ASSESSMENT OF COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST IFC FINANCING INDORAMA FERTILIZER COMPANY.
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERNMENT CENTER facilitated a complaint to Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) and another group U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) both are Independent Accountability Mechanisms of the World Bank Investments. It was on the activities of one of their investments in Nigeria through Indorama Fertilizer Company which are violating the human rights of the people and also affecting the Environment /Health of the people. The complaint was considered eligible and a team of CAO staff and DFC were asked to visit Nigeria for assessment of the complaint, the team had to facilitate a preparation meeting in order to meet with the two teams.
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER TEAM/MBAKESE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE QUEEN MOTHER OF ELEME KINGDOM IN RIVERS STATE NIGERIA.
This activity was carried out as part of our activities to sensitize women on The Effect of AIR POLLUTION in view of the adverse effects of air pollution on women‘s lives especially health and livelihood sources by the activities of manufacturing companies in Eleme. Indorama Fertilizer Company is hosted in Alode community in Eleme clan where the Queen mother of Eleme resides. The purpose of engaging with the Queen Mother was to elicit firsthand information on the experiences of women complaining in respect to their health and livelihood sources amidst the prevalent environmental issues, (Air pollution) triggered by the activities of Indorama Fertilizer Company and others. As the traditional head of all Eleme women we, believe she also has her story to tell on her own and with what other women reported. The engagement revealed that individual interests and ignorance are driving forces of the lackluster approach to the plights of the people especially women of Eleme by the company. This calls for sustained advocacy/ sensitization for the people to understand the impact of Air pollution. From their experiences, women need to collectively advocate for a cleaner air because the effect of air pollution affect women differently, indoor air pollution from cooking and smoking is telling more on women than men thus, they are more prone to respiratory diseases and other related aliment connected with air pollution.
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER JOIN OTHER MEMBERS OF NIGERIAN COAL NETWORK TO ATTEND HER ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING /CONFERENCE 2024, THE THEME WAS “UNITE TO RESIST COAL MINING & GAS FLARING IN NIGERIA.
Advancing communities and youths in solidarity through movement building to demand that government should stop issuing coal license; “don’t gas Nigeria” we demand climate justice now. Comrades from other African countries joined Nigeria coal network in solidarity to demand an end to coal mining and gas flaring, a march to a gas flare site was done in Port-Harcourt where shell is still flaring gas in the midst of the people while extracting oil and the environment is polluted and the people are affected with no alternative for efficient waste management.
ACTIONS ON ENDING GAS FLARE -A TRIP TO A GAS FLARE SITE IN PORT-HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER JOINED O – E’LLA OBOR ELEME TO COURT ON A CASE FILED BY THE GROUP AGAINST INDORAMA FERTILIZER COMPANY ON NON-COMPLIANCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL /SOCIAL STANDARD IN IMPLEMENTING THEIR PROJECT IN ELEME- THE CASE IS STILL ON GOING STARTED 2022.
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMNET CENTER TEAM, O’ELLA OBOR ELEME / MBAKASE WOMEN ELEME WITH COMPLIANCE ADVISOR OMBUDSMAN CAO TEAM DURING THE ASSESMENT VISIT TO ELEME AND TO ALSO MEET WITH THE COMPLAINTS TEAM.
The trip was facilitated behalf of World Bank shareholders/ International Financial Corporation (IFC) on funding the Indorama Fertilizer third plant. It was a 5 days meeting held in Port-Harcourt, a site visit to okuk river beside Indorama company (October, 2024)
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER ENGEAGEMENT WITH OTHER CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATONS/OTHER WOMEN GROUPS.
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER JOIN AKWA IBOM STATE SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN DIASPORA -AKISAN KATY USA, INC ON GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY ON A WATER PROJECT SITE IN OBOT AKARA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA , AKWA IBOM STATE.
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ON ENVIRONMENTAL/CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT IN RIVERS STATE TO REMIND GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE ON REDUCING AND PREVENTING FLOODS IMPACTS IN THE STATE -CLIMATE JUSTICE WALK BY NATURAL JUSTICE.
ENGAGEMENT WITH WINNING WOMEN DURING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELERATION.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST REPOLLUTION IN OGONI LAND AS HYDRO CARBON POLLUTION REMEDIATION PROJECT (HYPREP) JOINED CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS CSOs TO SENSITIZE EX -ARTISANAL REFINERS AGAINST REPOLLUTION IN OGONI LAND AS REMEDIATION WORK IS GOING ON. THIS WAS COORDINATED BY CENTER FOR ENVIRONMEMNT HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT (CEHRD)
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GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER ATTENDS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY JOINT COMMITTEE IN ELECTORAL MATTERS SOUTH – SOUTH ZONAL LEGISLATIVE INTERACTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN IN THE CREEKS DURING ELECTION. IT WAS A TWO DAYS SESSIONS WHERE ELECTORAL ISSUES WERE RAISED BY COMMUNITY WOMEN/CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS, POLITICAL PARTIES DELEGATES /CONDIDATES. IT WAS VERY ENGAGING THOUGH NO REPORT HAS BEEN RELEASED YET ON THE OUTCOME OF THE TOWNHALL MEETING.
ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS WITH MEDIA AWARENESS AND JUSTICE INITIATIVE (MAJI) ON DATA TOOLS VALIDATION SESSIONS/CITIZEN SCIENCE FOR NEWSROOM PROJECT/ PRESS BRIEFING ON RESEARCH PUBLICATION ON NARRATIVE CHANGE AROUND DISABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
AFRICAN YOUTHS CLIMATE JUSTICE MOVEMENT FELLOWS WORKSHOP HOSTED IN NIGERIA -ABUJA, WHERE OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES WERE REPRESENTED. THE EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR GREANLEAF ATTENDED THE 15 MONTHS ONLINE COACHING CLASS FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE MOVEMENT IN AFRICA. THE ALBERT EINSTEIN INSTITUE (AEI) OFFERS A FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON CLIMATE JUSTICE IN AFRICA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RIGHT LIVELIHOOD. IT IS A 15 MONTHS ONLINE CLIMATE JUSTICE FELLOWSHIP FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE ACTIVISTS IN AFRICA.
2023 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S STRUGGLES COORDINAED BY AFRICAN INDIGENOUS FOUNDATION FOR ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (AIFES).
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GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTRE IN EFFECHE COMMUNITY IN BENUE STATE.
Misinformation and lack of capacity of women to access global trends of inclusiveness and women participation on environmental issues in their communities have ensured divided opinion on the effects of Coal mining activities on women in Effeche community. This has resulted in the apathy and disinterestedness to organize and raise their voices against the negative effects of coal mining in the community. Women could not act as one despite the threats to farming which is their main livelihood source. It was against this background that Greenleaf Advocacy and Empowerment Center organized a workshop on The Effects of Coal Mining and Alternative Sources of Livelihood for Women with support from African Coal Network (CAN) and Global Green Grant (GGF).
The outcomes: The women confirmed after the workshop that coal mining activities have negatively affected them. They have resolved to organize and demand for environmental justice. As the impact is severe due to the adverse effect of climate change which has affected their agricultural practice systems and women could not harvest or grow crops as usual, poor farm produce and increase in labour before planting has worsen the living condition of women in the community. Seeking alternatives livelihood source was very key, though women are demanding for agricultural grants/loans to subsidize their manual labour and for purchase of climate resilient crops.
A concentration on the droppings from the Coal mining company has triggered deep-seated distrust, mutual suspicions that threatened community governance, peace and development in Effeche community in Benue State, Nigeria. Greenleaf Advocacy organized a training on Transformational Leadership skills for the council of Chiefs, Elders, women representatives and Youth executives on 22/11/2024 with support from ACN (GGF). Outcomes; participants agreed to apply the skills learnt and pledged to expose greed and corruption which pose threats community cohesion and development. The Paramount Ruler expressed his willingness to ensure inclusive community governance because during the training discussions revealed that there was no women inclusion in community governance, it was only the youths/elders and chiefs that governed the community. This will promote women inclusion in leadership in community governance where their voices will be heard as issues concerning women could also be addressed collectively .
GREENLEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER JOIN WOMEN GROUPS TO REACH OUT TO ORPHANAGE HOME/ STREET OUT REACH ON FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS TO MARK END OF YEAR CHARITY WALK FOR 2024.
AS THE WORLD OBSERVE 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE, GREEN-LEAF ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT CENTER JOINED STAND-UP FOR WOMEN SOCIETY TO LEND HER VOICE FOR COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP FOR EVERYONE TO FIGHT GENDER BASED VIOLENCE, WITH THIS YEAR THEME: INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN “UNITE TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN/GIRLS”.