Dying for Profit: How Nigeria’s Forgotten Communities Are Paying the Ultimate Price
By Princess-Ekwi Ajide
In the quiet villages of the Niger Delta, children no longer play near the creeks.
The water, once a source of life, now reeks of oil and death. For Amaka, a 42-year-old mother of four in Ogoni, every day begins with worry not about school fees, but whether the water will sicken her children. “They say we have rights, but we only hear that on the radio,” she says bitterly.
While multinationals rake in billions, families like Amaka’s are left to suffer the consequences of toxic waste, deforestation, and polluted air.
Despite global standards like the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), in Nigeria, enforcement remains paper-thin and promises rarely go beyond boardroom pledges.
At a recent training in Abuja, Abiodun Baiyewu of Global Rights reminded journalists that behind every environmental violation is a human face. “It’s not just about policy, it’s about people losing their homes, health, and futures,” she said.
Although companies like Shell, Nestlé, and MTN claim to respect human rights, many host communities see little change.
The Global Rights policy brief warns that unless these corporations are held accountable and victims, especially women and farmers, are empowered to seek justice, Nigeria’s most vulnerable will keep paying for a crisis they did not create.
The cost? Lost lives, poisoned land, and a justice system that looks the other way
For now, Amaka waits not for compensation, but for a drop of clean water and a chance to breathe free in her own homeland.