Ibeno Youth Demand Climate Justice, Funding for Renewable Energy in Protest
By Ekemini Simon
The youth of Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Saturday, September 20, 2025 held a protest to mark the Global Week of Climate Action, demanding climate justice, funding for renewable energy, and an end to fossil fuel exploitation in Ibeno.
The peaceful demonstration, organised in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria and Clement Isong Foundation, saw hundreds of young people take to the streets, carrying placards and voicing their demands.
The protesters, armed with placards bearing inscriptions such as “Stop failing us!!! Fund our future, not the crisis,” “Just transition now,” “Adopt Agroecology”, and “Promote renewable energy,” marched through the streets of Ibeno, drawing attention to the devastating impacts of fossil fuel exploitation and ecological destruction in the area.
According to Asuquo Asuquo, President of the Ibeno Youth Advocacy Network and leader of the protest, the demonstration was designed to amplify the voices of sacrificed communities and shed light on the impact of years of fossil fuel burning, climate justice, and sustainable futures.
He said “We are marking the global week of climate change action. We look into the just transition to mobilize youth as a network to see how we can talk about the change we need, taking cognizance of the peculiarity of our environment where gas is flared, oil spilled and our land, water and air polluted”.
The youth demanded that governments and oil corporations in the area prioritize funding the future through renewable energy, rather than perpetuating crisis and environmental degradation through increased oil exploration and production.
“We are asking that instead of funding the crisis, they should fund the future,” Asuquo said. “Attention should be tailored towards renewable energy and agroecology, ensuring youths should be part of policy making.”
The protesters also called on Seplat Energy, Network Exploration and Production and the government to take seriously the gas flare elimination plan in the area by adopting technology in the utilisation of gas destined for flaring instead of sacrificing the area and standing to enjoy the gas flare penalties, which they said encourage continuous gas flaring.
ActionAid Nigeria Climate Justice Advisor, Friday Ogezi said the protest in commemoration of the Global Week of Climate Action has given the young people and community-led associations opportunity to advocate for climate issues affecting them in terms of policies, financing, and alternatives for livelihoods and survival given the issue of transiting from fossil fuels to renewable energy and survival, from industrial agriculture to agroecology.
He said the protest highlighted the need for a just transition to renewable energy, which would not only address the environmental impacts of fossil fuel exploitation but also provide alternatives for livelihoods and survival.
Ogezi said that as the world is transitioning to renewable energy, most people, including young people, will lose their jobs hence the need for the government at various levels to listen to the call of the youth to start now in integrating them into policy formulation, designing and providing sustainable alternatives for the transition.
He added “What alternatives do they have? What we push at ActionAid is just transition. As we are transiting, let’s not create more problems for the young people. Let it be fair, let it be inclusive, let people be more involved.”
The Project Lead of Clement Isong Foundation, Dr. Caroline Gordian noted that the organisation had set up a youth hub in the Ibeno community, where young people were being trained on green skills.
She called on policymakers to be sensitive to the plight of the youth by listening to their call for the government to fund their future through agroecology and funding of renewable energy.
Gordian said. “While we make money from the gas flare penalties, we need to consider the livelihoods Fund of our future. If we don’t take action now, even the young people we are talking about, there will be no future for them.
” Even now, some oil companies are divesting without decommissioning their facilities. The duty bearers should be able to fund Just transition, agroecology and green skills. Young people and the communities should be trained so that they can transit.
“The Ministry of Agriculture should be intentional about incorporating Agroecology and the Ministry of Environment should be intentional about funding just transition. Let us see it in the budget and it should be implemented. It is not for the government alone. A wide range of stakeholders should be involved.”
Gordian said she is optimistic that the government will respond to the concerns since according to her, the government of Akwa Ibom State is a people-responsive government.
The Global Week of Climate Action is a global movement that aims to raise awareness about climate change and demand action from governments and corporations. The protest in Ibeno is part of a larger movement that is sweeping across the world, with young people and communities demanding climate justice and sustainable futures.