The Women Who Stood Against Oil Giants: The Ogoni Resistance of the 1990s

In the heart of the Niger Delta, where rivers weave through lush mangroves and villages thrives on fishing and farming, a quiet but powerful revolution unfolded in the 1990s. The women of Ogoniland, mothers, daughters, and grandmothers, rose up against one of the world’s largest oil companies, Shell, to protect their land, their water, and their future. Their story is one of courage, resilience, and environmental justice.

For decades, Royal Dutch Shell had extracted oil from Ogoniland, bringing immense wealth to Nigeria’s government but devastating local communities. Oil spills poisoned rivers, farmland turned barren, and gas flares lit up the sky, polluting the air. Fish, once abundant, became scarce. Drinking water turned black with oil. The people of Ogoni suffered, but their voices were ignored, until they decided to fight back.

In the course of this resistance, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), led by the famous activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, gained international attention, Ogoni women played an equally critical role in resisting environmental destruction. They formed the Federation of Ogoni Women’s Associations (FOWA), a grassroots movement that organized peaceful protests, blockades, and advocacy campaigns.

One of the most remarkable tactics of the Ogoni women was their use of traditional song, dance, and collective demonstrations. Thousands of women, often dressed in bright wrappers and carrying palm fronds, would march through the streets, chanting against Shell and the Nigerian government. They knew that their power lay not in weapons but in unity. Their voices carried across the land, drawing attention to the destruction Shell had inflicted on their home.

At key moments, Ogoni women physically blocked access to oil facilities, preventing workers from entering. They occupied roads, stood in front of bulldozers, and demanded accountability. Their presence alone was a powerful statement: they were the life-givers, the food-growers, and the water-fetchers, if the environment died, so would their people.

The Nigerian government, backed by Shell, responded with violence. Security forces attacked villages, arrested activists, and carried out brutal crackdowns. In 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders were executed after a sham trial, shocking the world. Yet, even in the face of danger, Ogoni women refused to be silenced.

The sacrifices of these women were not in vain. Their protests contributed to Shell suspending operations in Ogoniland in 1993, though oil spills and environmental damage remain. In 2011, after years of pressure, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) released a damning report confirming the catastrophic pollution in Ogoniland, leading to promises of cleanup efforts.

The Ogoni women’s fight is a powerful reminder that environmental justice is a human rights issue. Their struggle teaches us:

• Grassroots activism matters and local communities must have a say in decisions affecting their land.

• Women are central to environmental justice, since they are often the first to feel the effects of pollution and the most determined to resist it.

• Persistence leads to change, decades later, the call for justice in Ogoniland is still alive, inspiring new generations of activists across Africa and beyond.

The women of the Ogoni resistance were not just fighting for clean water or fertile land; they were fighting for their children’s future. Their voices, once dismissed, have echoed across history, reminding the world that no company, no government, and no force is stronger than the will of a united people. Today, as environmental crises intensify, their story remains an urgent call to action for all who seek justice for both people and the planet.