Ogoniland Ministers Task Church on Active Role in Human Rights and Environmental Justice

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” – Psalm 24:1

BORI, NIGERIA – 16 July 2025…. Clerics from across Ogoniland have called on Nigerian churches to take a front-line role in defending human rights and confronting environmental injustices plaguing the Niger Delta, declaring that the Church must reclaim its prophetic voice in the face of systemic poverty, pollution, and social neglect.

This call was made at a one-day sensitization seminar for Ogoni Indigenous Ministers and Church Workers held today at the MSN Wesley Methodist Cathedral, Bori, Rivers State under the theme: “Understanding the Role of Ministry in Human Rights and Environmental Justice.” The event was convened by the Ogoni Indigenous Ministers’ Forum (OIMF) in collaboration with the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) to deepen conversation around what roles the church can play in human rights and environmental injustice.

In his keynote address, Rt. Rev. Dr. Humphrey Lebe Nnam JP, Chairman of OIMF, gave a biblical grounding to the concept of environmental justice and peace, citing Genesis 2:15 and the prophetic literature:

“We are not owners of creation but stewards. The degradation of the land and the suffering of marginalized communities are not only environmental issues; they are spiritual violations. The Church must respond as a custodian of justice, love, and sustainability.”

Also speaking at the event, Rev. David Ugolor, Executive Director of ANEEJ, emphasized that ministry must evolve beyond the pulpit to meet the realities of injustice and ecological collapse.
“Environmental justice is not a secular campaign; it is deeply spiritual. When people drink poisoned water and breathe toxic air, their human dignity and God’s creation are violated. Ministers must stand as defenders of both,” Rev. Ugolor declared, citing both Scripture and the long-unmet demands of the 1990 Ogoni Bill of Rights.

He also called for the full engagement of Ogoni ministers in global advocacy using international mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and UN Special Rapporteurs.

He warned that indifference to environmental destruction amounts to complicity in social injustice and called on the Church to embrace its full prophetic responsibility.

Echoing these sentiments, Evang. Bariture Inuba, OIMF’s Director of International Affairs, urged ministers to reject apathy and reclaim the Church’s transformative mandate in society.

“Ministry is a call to serve, not to be served. The Church must stop distancing itself from the struggles of the people. It is meant to be the moral compass of society, not displaced as the ‘king of poverty and injustice.’ Sermons must now include the preservation of our environment and the defense of human dignity.
The Church is an empowered community of hope, commanded to celebrate kind life and to rebel against and transform all life-destroying forces through the power of the Holy Spirit,” he added.

He emphasized the need for churches to walk closely with God and to rediscover their kingship authority replacing the stigma of poverty with a renewed sense of divine purpose. Bariture also lamented how the responsibility for justice has increasingly been co-opted by those indifferent to equity and truth. He concluded that what is needed now is not just spiritual commitment but an economic rededication to the Ogoni struggle, a tangible expression of faith in action.

The seminar featured group sessions, plenaries, and reflections on the intersection of reflective theology, Ogoni spirituality, and grassroots advocacy. Discussions also explored the Church’s role in reshaping public narratives and pushing for remediation efforts rooted in justice.

Participants resolved to set up an Ecumenical Action Platform to advance coordinated faith-based advocacy in Ogoniland and called for the integration of environmental stewardship and human rights education into mainstream church teachings.
The event concluded with a strong consensus: the time is now for the Church in the Niger Delta to act boldly, walk humbly, and speak truth to power with moral clarity and theological conviction.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” – Luke 4:18–19