Environmentalists, academics and community leaders have called for the revival and preservation of indigenous knowledge and languages as tools for addressing Nigeria’s worsening environmental challenges.
The call was made on Thursday at a Wisdom Gathering organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) at the Eti Uwem Ecological Centre, Nkwot Ikot Nseyen, Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
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The gathering, part of HOMEF’s 2026 focus on Justice Movement and Power for Socio-Ecological Transition (JUMP), was themed, “Foundations of Language and Indigenous Philosophies for Socio-Ecological Justice.”
It brought together academics, environmentalists and members of the host community to examine how language, indigenous knowledge and cultural practices can shape society’s relationship with nature.
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Speaking at the gathering, HOMEF Director Nnimmo Bassey said environmentalism would remain trapped in the structures responsible for the current ecological crisis unless societies also confronted the language and knowledge systems through which those structures were sustained.
Mr Bassey said language is not neutral because stories and histories help construct identities and shape people’s understanding of the world.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the decline of indigenous languages has far-reaching consequences, often resulting in poverty and marginalisation.
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He said colonialism, beyond plundering land and labour also colonised minds, making reckless exploitation of nature appear synonymous with development.
“Primarily environmentalism is largely pursued within concepts that retain the very structures that created and sustain the polycrisis confronting the world today,” he said.
Mr Bassey said HOMEF’s Wisdom Gatherings are intended to “decolonise language and concepts” in ways that can support socio-ecological transformation.
He said JUMP, which stands for Justice, Movement and Power, requires an intelligible language and knowledge system capable of supporting radical transformation.
According to him, indigenous wisdom should not be treated as an ornamental addition to contemporary environmental discourse but as an essential component of efforts to decolonise environmentalism.
“We cannot effectively reclaim environmentalism that respects our culture, world views and identity without decolonising the language and structures of knowledge that incubate, birth, and sustain the crises,” he said.
Mr Bassey challenged participants to question commonly used environmental concepts such as “green economy,” “global warming,” “corporate social responsibility” and “net-zero,” arguing that some of these expressions could obscure the realities of environmental destruction.
He particularly criticised the idea of putting monetary value on nature through the concept of a green economy.
“If we live a good life, we protect our environment, our neighbours,” he said.
“Green economy means marketing the environment. You can’t get monetary value for life. You will destroy that environment.”
He argued that the language of “global warming” could also diminish the urgency of the environmental emergency, suggesting that societies should interrogate the terminology used to describe the scale of the crisis.
“Instead of global warming, we should begin to talk about global burning,” he said.
‘Eti Uwem means good life’
Mr Bassey said the name of the ecological centre itself provided an example of how indigenous concepts could offer alternative frameworks for understanding environmental justice.
He explained that “Eti Uwem,” an Ibibio expression, means “good life” or “good living” and embodies the idea of living harmoniously with nature, other beings and other people.
According to him, the concept incorporates dignity, respect, fairness, integrity, solidarity and contentment, while emphasising communal ownership and control of local resources.
He contrasted this with economic systems driven by speculation, exploitation and destructive activities.
Mr Bassey said similar indigenous concepts exist in other parts of the world, citing “Sumak Kawsay” among the Kichwa people of Latin America and the concept of “Buen Vivir.”
He also referred to “Sankofa,” an Akan concept represented by a bird turning its head backward to pick an egg while its feet face forward.
He said the concept conveys the importance of returning to history and forgotten knowledge to build a better future.
“We have to go back to get on the right path to be able to repair the widening fractures entrenched by extractivism and related biodiversity and livelihood losses and erosion of dignity,” he said.
“We may not do everything at once, but we can certainly do one thing at any one time. We will do something today. We will take a step on the ladder to our preferred future.”
‘Abasi Isong teaches reverence for land’
A professor of Geography and Natural Resources Management at the University of Uyo, Emmanuel Akpabio, said indigenous concepts such as “Abasi Isong,” which translates to “God of the land,” could provide an important framework for rebuilding society’s relationship with nature.
Mr Akpabio said it was unfortunate that many societies had come to demonise local and indigenous knowledge in favour of externally developed concepts.
He said “Abasi Isong” conveys the idea that the land and terrestrial environment are sacred and should therefore be protected and valued.
“When we reduce everything that Abasi Isong has bestowed us with to material things that must be consumed, we lose value,” he said.
“When you see it as a place to be exploited, that’s when we have environmental problems.”
The professor cited biblical references to highlight the principle of environmental responsibility, including Jeremiah 2:7, where God warned against defiling the land, and Revelation 11:18, which speaks of divine judgement against those ruining the earth.
He said some traditional practices have historically helped communities conserve forests, streams and other ecosystems.
Mr Akpabio noted that some forests were designated as “evil forests” and therefore protected from human interference, while some streams were also preserved under traditional systems of belief.
“There may be something deeper that we may not understand,” he said.
He also cited traditional new yam festival practices as an example of indigenous knowledge that maintained ecological relationships over generations.
He called on communities to identify useful elements of their cultural practices and integrate them with contemporary environmental conservation approaches.
“Do not shift ancient landmarks. Let’s see what is best from our culture and integrate it. Integrate our culture to our modern ways of preserving the environment,” he said.
‘Return young people to farming’
The chairman on the occasion and village head of Ikot Nseyen, Sylvester Akpan, a professor of educational technology and library science at the University of Uyo, said communities could address hunger and unemployment by encouraging young people to return to agriculture.
Mr Akpan said development and social change require human action and urged young people to make productive use of available land rather than depend excessively on political patronage.
“It takes might and human beings to bring about development or effect changes. We can drive away hunger if we go back to what we used to do,” he said.
He encouraged communities to create conditions that would make agriculture attractive to young people.
“Find a way of encouraging young people to make use of the available land. Forget giving attention to politics for a few cups of rice which will make you spend the whole day there. Encourage back to farm,” he said.
Indigenous words as environmental safeguards
The gathering also examined the relationship between language, memory, identity and ecological consciousness through group discussions on “Language as Memory, Identity and Ecological Consciousness” and “Reclaiming Indigenous Knowledge for Today’s Environmental Challenges.”
Presenting reflections from the discussions, a HOMEF member, Mfoniso Xeal, said the loss of indigenous words could also mean the loss of environmental practices and collective memory.
She cited the Ibibio expression, “Ukod anem ke ukpuk,” loosely translated as “palm wine is best served with a local calabash,” as an example of how indigenous practices could encourage environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic.
Participants also examined the name “Okoiyak,” which referred to a fishing field before the area became known as the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve.
They argued that retaining the indigenous name could have continued to remind younger generations and authorities of the area’s historical value as a fishing ground and ecological asset rather than treating it merely as undeveloped land available for petroleum refinery and coastal highway.
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Participants said the loss of indigenous names could erase important ecological memories and weaken community attachment to natural resources.
Another concept examined was “Ndon,” which refers to a community reserve.
At Ikot Nseyen, participants cited “Ndon Uwem” as an example of land held collectively by the community rather than divided among individuals.
They said the communal ownership system helped prevent the land from being sold off piecemeal and consequently preserved its biodiversity.
The participants said the reserve serves ecological value for the community.
They called for such concepts and practices to be documented and preserved across Akwa Ibom before they disappear from collective memory.
The gathering charged families and communities to deliberately transmit indigenous knowledge to younger generations through books, folklore, storytelling and documentation.
Participants said preserving indigenous languages should not be viewed merely as a cultural exercise but as part of protecting ecological knowledge and strengthening community participation in environmental governance.
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