This list of Nigerian female environmentalists has contributed significantly to the environmental course at home and abroad.
Some of these great women include;
1. PRISCILLA ACHAPKA
She is an intelligent Nigerian environmental activist who has contributed tremendously to ecological practices in and outside Nigeria. So far, her positive impact has earned her an “Eco-Hero” title by Germany’s Deutsche Welle supported by Nigerians Channels television. In addition, she is celebrated by the Nobel Women’s initiative as a prominent activist, among several honorary awards she has received. Her passion for the environment started when she took courses on environmental issues, which strengthened her resolve to become an environmental activist. Despite working at a bank, she nursed her passion for addressing the need to incorporate gender-related matters into water resources and planning.
In her career as an environmental activist, she has held a series of positions within and outside Nigeria. She was elected the co-facilitator of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s “Women Major Group”, Nigerian delegate for the women’s caucus and the Women and Gender Constituency with the U.N. Climate summit amidst several reputable positions took. During her participation in Environmental conferences, the core of her message has been to add gender as a key critical component in sustainable development goals. She has even spoken on the importance of women’s human rights in relation to environmental activism.
Priscilla Achapka is the founder of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP), an NGO that has introduced thousands of women to sustainable solutions to daily problems. Their goal is to empower women to tackle environmental issues through sustainable and affordable means in a way that enables women to adapt effectively to climate change.
She started her activism on children’s rights issues at the age of 10 in Calabar, where she was raised. She commenced working on adolescent and youth reproductive health issues as a student at the University of Calabar. There, she embarked on a series of empowerment and awareness for students in and outside the campus.
Interestingly, she served as the youngest person for the General Assembly of ActionAid Nigeria.
Fondly called “Estherclimate”, she is the founder of the most significant youth climate movement in Nigeria called the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition, and she co-founded the international Climate Change development initiative (ICCDI).
After that, she joined the ActionAid International HungerFREE Activist project as a youth advocate and volunteer and began to engage in empowering youth to take action on climate change. Ever since she has represented Nigeria and Africa at high-level global governance meetings talking about climate change.
Currently, she works in the Climate Action and SDG action team in the Secretary-Generals Envoy of Youth office. Esther is passionate about Africa’s development, especially regarding women’s health and socio-economic empowerment.
Aunty Easter biko carry me along too oh..lols. we are proud of your achievement.
3. ADENIKE ADEBUKOLA AKINSEMOLU
She is another leading Nigerian Environmental sustainability advocate and the country’s leading expert on environmental sustainability. Her devotion to the girl child led her to found the Girl prize scholarship and mentorship program. Her work has promoted girl child education cause among several other social causes. Adenike is the founder of Green campus Initiative, the first campus-based environmental advocacy organisation in Nigeria. The initiative aims to make environmentalism a part of everyday experiences for every Nigerian.
She is an environmental educator and currently a lecturer at a college of Obafemi Awolowo University. She hopes to raise the next generation of green leaders or scientists.
4. TITILOPE GBEMISOLA AKOSA
Titilope is a Climate justice advocate, environmental leader lawyer, and social inclusion expert. She is one of the celebrated woman environmental heroes that have contributed positively to climate change to a large extent. She has been working tirelessly on awareness and advocacy campaigns on gender and climate change both locally and internationally. Equally important, she is dedicated to the girl child and her right to education in Nigeria. She is the founder of the Non-governmental sustainability organisation centre for 21st-century issues (C21st).
5. ANN-KO BRIGGS
Ms Briggs is the founder of Agape Birthrights, an organisation that assists with developing areas, documenting and cleaning oil spills. In the Niger Delta region, Oil spillage has become a bane to the community development, which she hopes to correct. Agape Birthrights also fight against injustice and marginalisation.
Her passion for improving the Niger Delta started when she returned from England in 1988. Seeing its depreciating state, her quest became to restore the Niger Delta. “The environment pours life, and they destroyed it”, Ann-Ko Briggs says, talking about the bad state of affairs in the community.
6. AMINA J. MOHAMMED
Official Portrait
This list can be complete without the mother of the environment in Nigeria and a role model and inspiration to many.
Amina Jane Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Prior to her appointment, Ms Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.
Ms Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and creating the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and creating the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and creating the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms Mohammed began her career working designing schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services before moving into the public
sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to three successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.
Ms Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, Ms Mohammed, has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels. She is the mother of six children and has one grandchild.
To sum it all up, these women are among the best professionals in the environmental field. Their works have led to increased awareness of various issues concerning human activities’ effect on the environment.
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