Country:

Nigeria

Region:

Africa

Date:

April – November 2016

Implementor:

Ekuri Initiative

Funding Amount:

Details:

The Ekuri community in Nigeria, with support from the SRM, successfully campaigned to protect over 180 forest communities in Cross River State from the construction of a highway that would cut through their lands and forests. In February 2017, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State reversed the former notice, issued in January 2016, on the government acquisition of 10 kilometers of land on either side of the 206-kilometer superhighway.

Through this SRM, the Ekuri Initiative catalyzed national and international pressure to challenge the Cross River State government with unprecedented mobilization of forest communities and Nigerian CSOs, which included rights trainings of women and youth, non-violent protests, media engagement, awareness campaigns, and a petition with over 250,000 signatures. Though the notice has been reversed, the government remains committed to constructing the superhighway despite the implications for other forest communities.