Nnimmo Bassey

Nigerian architect-turned-environmentalist leading anti-oil extraction movements in the Niger Delta

Nnimmo Bassey, born in 1958, is a Nigerian poet and environmental justice advocate who reshaped global discourse on oil colonialism. As founder of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), he coordinates resistance against Shell and Chevron’s ecological devastation in the Niger Delta. His ‘leave the oil in the soil’ philosophy, articulated in his book 《To Cook a Continent》, argues for post-petroleum economies in Africa.

Bassey pioneered ‘environmental forensic tours’, bringing UN officials and journalists to witness oil spills firsthand. His 2010 Right Livelihood Award recognized his work exposing gas flaring’s health impacts. In 2012, he mobilized 15,000 protesters across 10 countries for the Global Frackdown campaign, instrumental in banning fracking in South Africa and France.

Blending Yoruba cosmology with climate science, Bassey frames ecological destruction as spiritual warfare against Earth deities. His poetry collections like 《We Thought It Was Oil But It Was Blood》 fuse activism with art, inspiring Nigeria’s Eco-Poets Movement. Currently advising the African Union on renewable energy policies, Bassey exemplifies South-South knowledge exchange in environmentalism.