Martha Agbani

Martha Agbani is a Nigerian environmental activist.^[1] She is the founding director of the Lokiaka Community Development Center, which advocates for the rights of indigenous Ogoni women farmers.^[2][3]

Martha Agbani
Born	Khana, Nigeria
Alma mater	Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic
Years active	2003–
Organization	Lokiaka Community Development Center
Known for	Environmental activism

Early life and education

Agbani was born in Khana, Nigeria.^[2] Her mother was an activist who protested against the multinational oil company Shell in the 1990s.^[4] As a teenager, she was a student in Bori City,^[1] and eventually attended Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic.^[2]

Career

After the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995 and her mother's death in 2001, Agbani joined the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People in 2003.^[2]

Following two oil spills in 2008 that damaged mangrove forests and fishing areas in Bodo, Nigeria, Shell had agreed to compensate the town approximately $83.5 million USD and replant mangroves.^[5] Agbani began to grow mangroves to sell to Shell and,^[6] in 2009, established the Lokiaka Community Development Center, a non-governmental organization that aims to support Ogoni women farmers to maintain the natural environment.^[7] According to Nigerian online newspaper TheCable, the organization sells mangroves to oil companies at a rate of approximately ₦500 – ₦1,000 (US$0.33 – US$0.66) per seedling.^[2]