From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
A group known as a Coalition of Green Non-Governmental Organisations (CGNGOs) has launched an initiative to restore the devasted mangroves in the four local government areas of Ogoni in Rivers State.
The coalition, which unveiled the Eco-Citizen Ogoni Initiative (ECOI) in Port Harcourt on Saturday, to mark the International Day for the Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystem 2025, said it had set a target to plant 560million Mangrove trees in Ogoni before 2035.
The Coordinator of the coalition in Ogoni, Pastor Nature Dumale, said the project to restore the Mangrove would train 560,000 eco citizens and empower them to lead an extraordinary change.
Dumale, who is also the Coordinator of Eco Citizen Niger Delta (ECN) also disclosed that 56,000 eco citizens would be directly employed to drive the initiative.
He insisted that the initiative would unlock 500,000 jobs across renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, eco-enterprise, aquaculture, clean transport, and ecosystem restoration.
He said: “We will plant and nurture 560 million mangrove trees in Ogoni by 2035, not just as an environmental action, but as a symbol of resilience, a living archive of our restoration journey.
“Through catalytic funding, community platforms, and public-private partnerships, we are opening the door to $5.6bn in green-blue impact investment. We are unlocking pathways for new green-blue economy jobs that are dignified, future-facing, and climate-smart. These are jobs that anchor young people not in the uncertainty of migration, but in the opportunity of home.
“This is not a dream. This is a mission in motion.The Eco-Citizen OGONI Initiative isn’t just about planting trees, it’s about planting seeds of justice. It’s about restoring what was broken, not just ecologically but economically and socially.
“It calls on all of us, traditional leaders, state agencies, youth leaders, investors, and diaspora changemakers, to build an Ogoni that is green, just, and regenerative. Let this moment mark the beginning of a new story, where Ogoni’s environmental scars become the soil from which a new generation of prosperity and pride grows.
“Let this International Mangrove Day 2025 be remembered not just for the speeches, but for the spark it ignited. Let it be said that on this day, Ogoni chose restoration over resignation, hope over helplessness, action over apathy”.
Dumale further described the Eco-Citizen Ogoni Initiative as a bold social action for a sustainable, regenerative future adding that it was designed to act as a flagship eco-mobility marketplace and empowerment programme.
“It is more than a policy framework or a development plan. It is a people-centered strategy that channels environmental restoration into real economic empowerment, through nature-based solutions, community-led innovation, and a commitment to planetary justice”, he said.
He explained that the initiative was aligned with the programme of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland.
Dumale said: “Together, these programmes are setting a new benchmark for how environmental restoration can power structural transformation and community resilience.
“At its core, the Eco-Citizen OGONI Initiative recognizes that the path to environmental healing must also be a pathway to livelihoods, skills, ownership, and pride. It brings to life a new generation of green and blue jobs, rooted in the landscapes and lifeways of our people.
“This is the new development contract. It is how we regenerate the land, revive our waters, and reignite local economies — all while placing youth, women, and frontline communities at the centre.
“As we commemorate the International Day for the Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystems 2025, we are reminded that mangroves are not just trees — they are natural protectors of our coastlines, carbon champions, nurseries for marine life, and symbols of our ecological resilience.
“Today, we do more than mark a day on the calendar. We make a declaration: that Ogoni will be at the forefront of the global movement to conserve, restore, and regenerate our mangrove ecosystems, not just for the planet, but for the prosperity and peace of our people.”
