Adesuwa Uwagie-Ero
Adesuwa Uwagie-Ero
Benin, Nigeria
Having been born and raised in the city, I thought nothing much about the environment except for what we were thought at school not until I went on a field visit as an intern with Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) a Nigerian advocacy group dedicated to the defense of human ecosystems in terms of human rights; promotion of responsible environmental practices by government, companies, communities and individuals through the empowerment of local people and campaigns to an oil impacted community in Delta state, Nigeria. I saw for the first time in my life the devastation of oil extraction on the environment and the local people. In Iwherekan community, people were badly impacted especially women and girls whose sources of livelihood depend on the environment.
After my trip from Iwherekan community, I realized there was a need to build the capacity of women to protect the environment. So I started to mobilize and organize women in the community. Over the years, I have successfully organized series of capacity training/workshops for thousands of girls and women who I believe bear the worst brunt of climate change. The environment forms and defines livelihood for most of these women, and the uncurbed destruction can only worsen the odds for these otherwise vulnerable population. In my work, I have organized and participated in peaceful protests in and around regions. Of note was the campaign against landgrab, deforestation and pollution which had more than a hundred participants who stood against big companies who had possessed large expanse of land. Following the protest, some of the land has since been returned back to the community. The other campaigns have been met with varying outcomes and include climate change, gas flaring and oil spills that continue to pollute most lands and water sources. The passion of empowering women, and winning them over to sustainable environment, has seen me take stage and raise awareness on climate change issues on both national and international platforms.
My vision for sustainable future is to see womens' rights issues as human rights and at the center of sustainable development. I strongly feel for there to be any meaningful development, women must not only been seen driving the process also making and taking decision of the process. Fully participating as partners in progress. This can be done through strengthening of women’s capacity, driving local initiatives that are women led, developing capacity of women through participatory action research that would not only keep women abreast with sustainable development in the ever changing environmental world, but will enable them to translate their vast experience and findings to policy documents that will certainly impact the lives of many within the borders of Nigeria, the region and beyond.