In Ogoniland, located within Nigeria’s Niger Delta, a grassroots movement led by Martha Agbani is working to reverse the environmental degradation caused by long-term oil exploitation. The region has suffered from chronic oil spills that have contaminated rivers and decimated mangrove forests, which are vital to the local ecosystem and community survival.

These mangroves historically provided essential resources for local populations, but industrial pollution has rendered much of the land and water toxic. Agbani, whose mother was a local activist, is now training women in the community to cultivate and replant mangrove seedlings. The initiative is framed as a direct response to the damage caused by major oil companies operating in the region. While the project focuses on environmental restoration, it also serves as a form of community empowerment, attempting to rebuild livelihoods that were lost when the mangroves died. The effort is described as a slow, methodical process, characterized by the planting of individual shoots to reclaim the landscape from the effects of crude oil contamination.