A foremost group of environmentalists and advocates of healthy living, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Environmental Rights Action (ERA) admonish Nigerians to laugh more, resist injustice and oppression in every ramification and strive harder to survive despite the odds just as they berate the state of Nigeria’s biodiversity
By Edu Abade
At a time of deepening ecological crisis, widening social injustice, and rising activist burnout, environmental justice advocates are advancing an unexpected yet powerful response to the demand for resilience, urgency, and moral courage-humour.
Activists are always at alert -responding swiftly to important existing and emerging socio-ecological and other issues. Often times they are faced with traumatic experiences on the field and met by stark opposition or even failure. This leads to burnout which can become persistent and reduce productivity/impact, as well as lower quality of life.
This challenge requires personal and collective reflection on the causes of burnout and what tools can be effective in addressing it. To this end, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Environmental Rights Action (ERA) organised an eco-comedy live show, which explored the relevance of humour and storytelling in curbing burnout and promoting wellbeing in the course of activism.
This event which held in Benin City, Edo State had in participation young, middle aged and experienced activists, comedians, students and media representatives. The event featured short speeches, storytelling (activists’ chronicles), live comedy performances, and group discussions, all of which were infused with humour, while delivering practical ideas on how to avoid burnout. The event also featured a presentation of prizes to two winners of the eco-comedy short film competition which preceded the live show.
The Eco-Comedy gathering opened with a deeply reflective and thought-provoking message that blended humour with urgency. Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, spoke of a time defined by overlapping ecological and social crises, and because of that, we must remain rooted in purpose, conscious of our collective power, and alert to the urgency of the moment.
According to Bassey, humour/laughter should inspire us to think about who we truly are, and the socio-ecological issues that we need to address, stressing that comedy and humour are not neutral but viable tools for action.
His remarks acknowledged the serious and often numerous challenges that activists face year after year sometimes with little success owing to deep-rooted systemic disorders. “But”, he noted “giving up is very dangerous”. He stressed that activists must remain consistent and persistent even if the change does not happen in their lifetime, adding, “To surrender is to allow injustice to prevail unchecked.”
Furthermore, Bassey noted that humour is a great tool for educational purposes and can be used can be used to break barriers – whether personal, structural, or systemic. The notion of power was also central. Dr Bassey left the impression that communities and individuals often underestimate their own power, especially in the face of institutional failure or injustice. Yet real change begins when people recognize that power lies in their voices, their unity, and their refusal to remain silent. Even small acts of speaking out, using caricatures to campaign and sharing stories contribute to a larger movement for justice.
Deputy Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action, Barrister Mariann Bassey-Olsson, building on the importance of integrating humour in activism, noted that if activists lose their joy, they will lose the movement. Humour allows us to stay human without which we would lose empathy and the motivation to instigate change. While the realities we face remain grievous, our response must not be stripped of humanity.
Mrs. Olsson established that humour does not attempt to make light of the socio-ecological struggles but helps to break tension and strengthen commitment. “We are not laughing because things are easy; we are laughing because we refuse to be broken. Humour reaches where policy papers cannot. Activism must sustain people, not consume them,” she explained.
Moreover, Mrs. Olsson added that “when we laugh together, we heal, we reconnect. We remember why we started. This isn’t a distraction. It is resistance!” Humour allows civil society activists to release tension, reconnect with one another, and sustain the energy needed for long-term struggle.
The session on activist’s chronicles had activists from different countries and regions sharing personal experiences they have had in the past which were not funny at the time but now when they look back they can laugh about them. Some of the stories were rather touching including personal sacrifices and betrayal, communications hassles/language barriers, security issues, mistakes due to inexperience, and more.
Across all accounts, a common thread emerged: these challenges did not deter the activists but instead became catalysts for learning, growth, and deepened resilience. The session underscored the significant personal costs inherent in activism and reinforced the imperative for activists to foster mutual support, cultivate solidarity, and engage in practices that promote collective and individual wellbeing.
The session also highlighted practical ways to avoid burnout and deal with trauma including prioritizing areas of engagement and maintaining focus, proper planning/time management, collaborations, delegation, infusion of art/humour in programme design, avoiding competition, prioritizing rest, celebrating wins (no matter how little) and addressing systemic socio-economic factors that contribute to burnout. On trauma, it was noted that rest and carefully chosen leisure activities can promote recovery.
Eco-Comedy emerges from a growing recognition that activists across the world, rather than retreat, claim humour as a political and cultural strategy, one that enables movements to communicate complex issues in accessible and relatable ways, connect with broader and more diverse audiences, and sustain emotional strength and collective resilience.
Rooted in Nigeria’s rich tradition of satire and social commentary, Eco-Comedy bridges activism and performance, using storytelling, comedy, and lived experience to expose injustice while creating space for healing, reflection, and renewal.
Overall, the event demonstrated the integration of art and advocacy, highlighted the need for movements to adopt humour as an artistic language for ecological justice and a means to strengthen public engagement, as well as the need to build communities of eco-comedians: activists who can communicate systemic critique and propagate action with wit, clarity, and cultural relevance.
Meanwhile, HOME has condemned the alleged illegal confined field trials and registration of four new transgenic cotton hybrid varieties- MIC 561 BGII, MIC 563 BGII, BIOSEED-FIYAH CH1001, BIOSEED-FIYAH CH1002 by the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds and Fisheries.
The transgenic cotton varieties were among 21 other ‘improved’ varieties developed by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, in collaboration with ‘national and international partners.’
The two Bt (BG II) hybrids (MIC 561 BG II and MIC 563 BG II), along with their non-Bt counterparts for refuge strategies, were developed by Mahyco, while the two additional transgenic hybrids (BIOSEED-FIYAH CH 1001 and CH 1002) were developed by Shriram Bioseed Genetics.
The National Biosafety Management Agency, responsible for decision-making and approvals regarding GMOs, established that the cotton varieties were registered on March 26, 2026, without its notice and approval, as required under the National Biosafety Management Act 2015 (as amended).
While HOMEF applauds the NBMA for their vigilance and compliance-monitoring mechanisms, the ecological think tank bemoaned the state of biosafety in Nigeria, concerned that more genetically engineered food products may have found their way into our plates unnoticed, untested and unverified, seeing that the National Variety Release Committee can bypass NBMA to discreetly carry out field trials, approve commercial release and go ahead to register GMOs.
Bassey, stated that this deliberate disregard for due process and delegated authority demonstrates the desperation and arrogance of the biotech industry championed in Nigeria by the Institute of Agricultural Research, and confirms that profit-making, rather than solving food insecurity, drives the industry. Nigeria’s Biosafety is indeed in shambles.
While acknowledging the directive by the NBMA to the National Variety Release Committee to suspend any further action on the registration and release of the said varieties, he stated that the NBMA should ensure that due diligence is done beyond the announcement.
He recalls the case in 2018 when WACOT Ltd. tried to illegally ship genetically modified maize into the country, and although the NBMA announced in the media that the shipment would be repatriated to Argentina, the erring company was granted approval to import the same Maize for a period of 3 years in a few days. This was in spite of the requirement of the NBMA Act 2015 that anyone or company who wishes to import GM products must give a prior notice of 270 days.
On her part, HOMEF’s Director of Programmes and Lead on Hunger Politics, Joyce Brown, stressed that national and international biosafety protocols exist for a reason – to ensure protection against potential human and environmental health hazards associated with GMOs. Thus, no agency or institute of Nigeria should underestimate the need for proper regulation, no matter the pressure from the private sector or so-called international partners. The health and well-being of the people and the environment must take precedence in the attempt to improve nutrition and address food insecurity.
“Nigeria needs to take a step back to critically re-examine its appetite for GMOs, noting that the previously approved Bt Cotton, according to the National Cotton Association of Nigeria, does not perform much better than the conventional varieties but instead degrades the soil, making it unproductive for local varieties. The farmers have planted Bt Cotton for up to 4 years and couldn’t find any comparative advantage, other than that it was destroying their soil,” she stated.
HOMEF restated the need for Nigeria to recognize and invest in the necessary transition to agro-ecological farming, which would not only ensure increased productivity over time but also assure environmental sustainability and food sovereignty.
