By ABDULKABIR MUHAMMED

Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) has joined the global community in celebrating the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2025. FENRAD’s Executive Chairman, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, shared this in a press release signed and circulated on Thursday, August 7, 2025, in which he expressed sympathy for the plight of indigenous communities, while calling for immediate remediation and compensation for the victims.

“On this day, we urge the government to implement full remediation of impacted sites, ensure transparency in oil revenue sharing, and strengthen the rights of indigenous people to free, prior, and informed consent.”

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is an annual United Nations event that raises awareness about the needs and rights of indigenous populations worldwide. The global event takes place every 9th of August. This year’s theme, “Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination,” Nwafor argues, “presents a vital opportunity to reflect on the urgent need for justice, sustainability, and inclusion in indigenous communities, particularly those suffering from decades of environmental degradation and marginalisation.”

Citing the Niger Delta plight, Comrade Nwafor argued that the indigenous communities have always borne the proceeds from mineral exploitation, resulting in environmental degradation and soil pollution.

“In Nigeria and across the Niger Delta, indigenous communities have borne the brunt of oil exploration and exploitation. Their lands, rivers, and air have been polluted, their livelihoods destroyed, and their voices often silenced. From Ogoniland to Egbema, Oloibiri to Gbaramatu, environmental destruction continues to threaten indigenous existence, culture, and dignity.”

However, FENRAD has urged the federal government, oil multinationals, and relevant stakeholders “to uphold the principles of environmental justice, which demand fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people—regardless of race, income, or ethnicity—in environmental policies and practices.”

In a bid to accelerate the government interventions in the region, the environmental rights group also laments the “slow and inadequate implementation of the UNEP report on Ogoniland,” while calling for an “independent oversight of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).” FENRAD insists that the “Indigenous youth must be empowered with education, skills, and opportunities to lead environmental action and demand accountability.”

FENRAD articulates its demands as follows:

Full environmental remediation of all polluted sites in the Niger Delta

Compensation and support for displaced indigenous communities

Legal recognition and protection of indigenous land rights

Inclusion of indigenous youth in environmental policy formulation

Transparency and accountability in oil revenue allocation and environmental management

As the world celebrates the contributions of indigenous peoples, FENRAD reminds all stakeholders that there can be no environmental justice without indigenous justice.