(English) End Ecocide Nigeria

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End Ecocide Nigeria (also known as Environment Keepers Initiative) was birthed in 2022 by Professor Gaius E. Okwezuzu as founder and pioneer Director. It is a representative of Stop Ecocide International in Nigeria. It is a part of the growing global movement to criminalise ecocide. Its main objective is therefore to campaign, within Nigeria and the global community, for the recognition of ecocide as a crime and to include ecocide as the 5th Crime against Peace along with Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and the Crime of Aggression, under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court through the amendment of the Rome Statute.

 

We partner with lawyers, academics, professionals, politicians, diplomats, corporate leaders, private organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, influencers, activists, faith associations, groups and individuals.

 

End Ecocide Nigeria seeks to realise the following: (a) to positively impact national policy and bring about legal reforms that would promote a clean and healthy environment; (b) to influence Nigeria to be in favour of criminalisation of ecocide in international law; (c) to encourage the use of the term ecocide and promote conversation involving the benefits of criminalising ecocide, and how ecocide law can prevent ecocidal activities.

 

WHAT WE DO

Our tasks include organising webinars, sensitisation programs, and academic conferences. We also encourage all to use the term ecocide in relation to atrocity scale harm to the environment. We share academic materials that could promote scholarship in the area of ecocide. We host podcasts/panel discussions with experts.

We encourage our friends, colleagues, family and other networks to sign up for the newsletter on the website of Stop Ecocide International. We give talks about End Ecocide to a variety of audiences using various devices. We create awareness through hand out leaflets, flyers, etc. We are all encouraged to create awareness about our campaign as much as legally possible.

End Ecocide Nigeria has various operational platforms: (i) Lawyers/Legal Scholars, Academics and Professionals; (ii) General Platform; (iii) Youths and Students (Ambassadors of Ecocide); nevertheless, we are all working towards the same goals both municipally and internationally. We also operate through News Media and Social Media. End Ecocide Nigeria is a Non-Government Organisation that relies solely on donations from individuals and corporate bodies who have passion for the preservation of the earth and human survival therein.

We continue to work in collaboration with Stop Ecocide International, other Associate Groups, as well as Non-Government Organisations towards the inclusion of the Crime of Ecocide in the Rome Statute via amendment.

It is true that we all are confronted with environmental challenges of ecocidal magnitude crying out and loud for new legal tools to combat them. Criminalising ecocide has the potential and potency of effectively addressing these challenges. We therefore invite all and sundry to join the movement to criminalise ecocide locally and internationally.

FUTURE EVENTS

We are planning to organise webinars, sensitisation programs, and academic conferences. In this regard, we have an action plan which birthed a Concept Note prepared by Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun SAN, Former Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), with the impressive support of Dr Pedi Obani. We have in place a Think Tank Team as well as Coordinators and members of various Working Groups whose diligence and valuable contributions have been quite impressive. As we progressively implement the Concept Note, our plan is that it will culminate in a grand academic conference soon.

 

EVENTS

Besides individual, group, and social media efforts to realise our goals, we had the launching of End Ecocide Nigeria at the Hybrid Roundtable organised by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) and End Ecocide Nigeria (EEN) on 19th April, 2023. Prof. M. T. Ladan, the then Director General of Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies as the Chief Host delivered the Welcome Address, while Prof. Gaius E. Okwezuzu as Co-Host Presented the Opening Remarks captioned “End Ecocide Nigeria: The Journey So Far”.

The Executive Director of Stop Ecocide International, Jojo Mehta, was the Keynote Speaker and she dwelt on the theme “End Ecocide Nigeria: Pathway to Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development.”

The speakers who proved their mettle as intellectuals of very high pedigree were as follows:

1. Prof. Celestine Uzoma Aguoru – then Dean, College of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State.
2. Prof. Violet Aigbokaevbho – Former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State.
3. James Gondi, Africa High Level Coordinator, Stop Ecocide International.
4. Dr Nkiruka Chidia Maduekwe – Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Abuja.
5. Mrs Izuoma Egeruoh-Adindu – Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Abuja.

It is worthy of mention that over one hundred persons including honourable judges, highly respected professors, distinguished professionals, academics, learned colleagues, students, and various other people joined online. The media/social media links to the Hybrid Roundtable are available at:

Hybrid Roundtable event

 

Hybrid Roundtable event

MEMBERS OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF END ECOCIDE NIGERIA (AKA ENVIRONMENT KEEPERS INITIATIVE)

 

The Board of Trustees of End Ecocide Nigeria (also known as Environment Keepers Initiative) consists of eminent personalities who have proven passion for the environment and they include:

Prof Gaius Okwezuzu

Full name: Professor Gaius Emamuzou OKWEZUZU – Chairman/Director, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.

Faculty of Law, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Email address:geokwezuzu@gmail.com; eenigeria@stopecocide.earth

Prof Violet Aigbokaevho

Full name: Prof. (Mrs) Violet Omon Aigbokaevho – Co-Director/Financial Secretary, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.

Former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Mrs Charity Emelie

Full Name: Prof. (Mrs) Charity  Ifeyinwa EMELIE  – Treasurer, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.

Faculty of Law, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State, Nigeria.

Prof Atoyebi

Full Name: Dr Timothy Abayomi ATOYEBI – Secretary, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prince Abubakar Audu University, Ayingba, Kogi State, Nigeria.

Prof Fagbohun

Full Name: Professor A. Olanrewaju FAGBOHUN, SAN – Consultant/Member, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.

Faculty of Law, (Former Vice Chancellor), Lagos State University, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Email address: fagbohun@elri-ng.org

Prof Aguroru

Name: Professor Celestine Uzoma AGUORU – Member, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.

Former Dean, College of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.

Ibrahim Mohammed

Full name: Ibrahim Mohammed MUSA – Member, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.
Chief State Counsel, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Email address: ibrodma@yahoo.co.uk

Dr Okafor

Full name: Dr (Mrs) Chukujindu Joyce Okafor – Member, Board of Trustees,End Ecocide Nigeria.

Department of Education, Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Email address: cokafor@biu.edu.ng

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS OF END ECOCIDE NIGERIA (ALSO KNOWN AS ENVIRONMENT KEEPERS INITIATIVE):

We have a number of social media platforms by which we carry out our activities.

The social media platforms are coordinated by Mrs Nekme S. kanta OLOJEDE.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endecocide_nigeria?igsh=MWF3dW8wajl3a3Zs

Twitter X: https://x.com/EcocideNigeria?t=qYVgWBSC8na35tf_NMweyw&s=08