The African Law Foundation (AFRILAW) has trained about 30 human rights defenders, journalists and civil society actors in Bayelsa State on strategies for protecting human rights, promoting corporate accountability and encouraging responsible business practices within Nigeria’s extractive sector.
The capacity-building workshop, held in Yenagoa, brought together community advocates, media professionals and civil society organisations working on environmental protection and community rights across the Niger Delta.
Speaking during the programme, AFRILAW Executive Director, Chinweike Okereke, stressed that human rights defenders are identified by their peaceful actions and commitment to justice rather than by official titles or positions.
He cautioned participants against adopting confrontational tactics that could infringe on the rights of others, noting that effective advocacy must remain non-violent and lawful.
According to Okereke, the training was designed to strengthen the capacity of community leaders, journalists and civil society groups engaged in defending environmental and human rights within host communities.
“This workshop is aimed at enhancing the work of human rights defenders, including media practitioners and civil society organisations that are actively involved in protecting community and environmental rights,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of closer collaboration between human rights defenders and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in addressing grievances arising from extractive activities.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Anthony Ojukwu (SAN), the Bayelsa State Coordinator of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Baddom, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to tackling issues linked to environmental degradation, pollution and displacement of communities.
Baddom encouraged stakeholders to report human rights violations through the Commission’s offices, written petitions or the online Human Rights Advisory and Tracking (HRAT) platform.
He explained that the NHRC investigates complaints relating to environmental abuses, including oil spills, land disputes and illegal dredging activities, and often resolves conflicts through mediation or panels of inquiry.
Legal practitioner Mrs. Wisdom Friday also introduced participants to the Voluntary Principles Initiative (VPI), a global framework that promotes respect for human rights in security operations within the extractive industry.
She urged participants to assess risks associated with their advocacy work and called on governments and companies to view peaceful human rights defenders as partners and early-warning mechanisms rather than security threats.
According to Friday, adopting such an approach would help reduce attacks, intimidation and judicial harassment against community advocates.
The workshop was organised in partnership with the Zero Tolerance Initiative, the Voluntary Principles Initiative and the True Cost Initiative, with support from the National Human Rights Commission.
Organisers said the programme was designed to improve access to justice, strengthen accountability mechanisms and deepen cooperation among stakeholders across host communities in the Niger Delta.
One of the participants, Princess Elizabeth Egbe, Executive Director and Coordinator of the Bloomer Care Rescue Mission, commended the organisers for investing in the development of human rights defenders in Bayelsa State.
She described the initiative as timely and impactful, expressing the willingness of local human rights groups to collaborate with AFRILAW and other partners in advancing community rights and environmental justice.
“It is a commendable initiative. The work they are doing is important and quite unique, and we look forward to partnering with them to strengthen human rights advocacy in the state,” she said.
AFRILAW Trains Rights Defenders on Accountability in Extractive Industry
