Safe Space Development Foundation

Happy Anniversary Akwa Ibom!

The full video is now live!

Watch the University of Uyo Campus Tour – Voxpop Edition Two, where students share practical insights on environmental issues, from waste management and recycling to everyday actions that protect our planet.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/bvJEhsXnF94

SHADEF CAMPUS TOUR VOX POP- EPISODE II What can you do today to protect the environment?What advice would...

Climate change is not "normal Naija weather", and every child deserves a clean and safe environment

Happy new week!

We talk about abandoned oil wells when we are far away.
From comfort. From safety.

But what about the mother in Esit Eket who lives with it every day?

She cooks. She cleans. She looks after her children.
And every single day that well is still there.
A constant reminder that one moment of not looking could be enough.
That one of her children could wander off to a danger they don't understand.

This is why we cannot give up.
Because somewhere in Esit Eket, a mother carries this worry every single day.

Watch: The Well That Never Sleeps
Link in the comments

Happy New Month From SHADEF!

May this month deepen the impact of every safe space we create, strengthen the communities we walk alongside, and renew our shared commitment to dignity, healing, and lasting change.

Here’s to a September filled with progress, purpose and joint growth.

Together, we can do so much!

In Esit Eket local government area, among vegetation and rural footpaths, an abandoned oil stands.
Once part of Nigeria’s oil network, it now sits silent and unresolved, while families live just metres away.

This documentary explores the quiet risks of abandoned oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta, where everyday life continues beside a site that was never properly closed.

Abandoned oil wells should be decommissioned.
Oil companies must take accountability.
This is non-negotiable!

Watch the full documentary here:
https://youtu.be/4cgffMjN9HA

The Well That Never Sleeps | Abandoned Oil Well in Esit Eket, Nigeria In Esit Eket, Akwa Ibom State, an abandoned oil well stands hidden ...

In our previous documentary, we showed you the devastating impact of the erosion gully, how the earth swallows farmlands, and futures.

That story revealed a painful truth: environmental disaster is not always sudden. Sometimes it creeps in slowly, ignored until it’s almost too late.
If you haven’t watched it yet, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/xhiAW8uR3u4?si=3am5hfP40oP0fVKe

Tomorrow, we turn the camera to another silent emergency in the same region, abandoned oil wells in Esit Eket Local Government Area.

Abandoned oil wells continue to pose environmental and social risks long after operations end.

Questions of decommissioning, remediation, and accountability remain unanswered.
The communities remain.
The families remain.
The land remains.
And so do the risks.

What happens when oil infrastructure is abandoned? Who is responsible? And what does this mean for the communities that host it?

This new documentary continues the conversation we started with the erosion gully.
Different threat. Same fight for accountability and environmental justice.

Premieres tomorrow.
Stay tuned.

DOCUMENTARY of ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION This documentary captures the urgent reality of the environmental d...

After years of walking past the same oil-polluted rivers, thinning farmland, deepening erosion and abandoned oil wells, without the means to stop the damage or hold those responsible to account, young people in the oil-affected communities of Akwa Ibom are beginning to see that it does not have to remain this way.

Through the Youth as Community Rights Defenders (YCRD) project, the distant idea of justice is becoming an immediate question: who gets to decide what happens to the land that feeds them, and how young people can take part in those decisions

The future is no longer something that will simply happen to them. It is becoming something they can change.

And the work is far from over. YCRD Phase Two is coming.

An unforgettable close to the SHADEF Campus Tour Essay Competition!

On the 30th of July 2026, we gathered to celebrate young minds who used their stories to speak for environmental justice and a better future. From powerful essay presentations to a lively conversation session where competitors shared the inspiration behind their essays and answered thought-provoking questions from our special guests, we witnessed young minds with a heart for the environment.

A huge congratulations to our outstanding winners:
Grand Prize – Most Engaged Essay: Ikakke-Abasi Etukudoh
Grand Prize – Best Essay: Adagbabiriowei Lilian Biberiebi
1st Runner-Up – Best Essay: Akanimo Inyangabia
2nd Runner-Up – Best Essay: Joseph Nduke-Obong Anieti

Special thanks to our distinguished judges and special guests who made the day even more meaningful.

We are deeply grateful to the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) for donating environmental books that will continue to educate and inspire students long after this campus tour.

Thank you to every competitor, judge, volunteer, and supporter who made this journey possible. The conversation continues, the action continues, we look forward to beautiful results.

Here’s to more young people raising their voices for the planet!