‘Rivers community moves to halt TotalEnergies’ extraction in Nigeria’ 20 August 2025

The people of Ogbogu Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local Government Area of Rivers State have raised their voices to clamour that oil multinational company, TotalEnergies, be kicked out of their community and out of Africa, due to what the community described as a continuous pattern of corporate neglect spanning decades. In a townhall meeting organised by CODAF which held August 18, 2025, as part of the pan-African “Kick Total Out of Africa” week of action, the event served as a platform for the oil-impacted community to voice years of pent-up grievances against TotalEnergies’ operations under the OML 58 cluster.

The meeting, which had community members, community leaders, women, youths and other stakeholders in attendance, accused TotalEnergies of employing divide-and-rule tactics within the community, making empty promises of development, and consistently failing to properly compensate for damages. The gathering formed part of a broader continental movement, with similar actions taking place simultaneously in nine other African nations including Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa. The Africa Week of Action, spearheaded by 350Africa, represents a growing wave of resistance against fossil fuel corporations across the Africa. A member of the community, Mr. Ajie Wisdom, stated that they are insisting that TotalEnergies leaves Nigeria, “as their operations have done more harm than good in the community”. He pointed out that TotalEnergies gas flaring operations have negatively impacted the health of residents in the community.

… The meeting served as both a sobering documentation of corporate abuse and an inspiring display of community resilience. With the eyes of a continent-wide movement now on Ogbogu, this small Niger Delta community has positioned itself at the forefront of Africa’s growing fight against environmental injustice in the fossil fuel industry. For decades, TotalEnergies has operated across Africa, extracting resources, displacing communities, and polluting the environment under the banner of “development.” In reality, their operations have left a legacy of oil spills, toxic gas flaring, forced displacement, and broken promises, enriching foreign corporations while deepening poverty and environmental harm.