Human rights and environmental activists have pushed for popularisation of words, such as ‘Ogonise’’; ‘Sarowiwise’, ‘Aigbuhaense’, ‘Awua’, ‘Brasinise’ ‘adanegberise’, and ‘Otogise’, among others, in the campaigns for human and climate justice.
 
The activists, including Edo State’s former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Osagie Obayuwana; Interim Administrator, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN),  Rita Uwaka; Programme Manager, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Innocent Edemhanria; Cynthia Bright, and Executive Director, Grassroots Women Empowerment and Development Organisation (GWEDO), spoke at a programme, organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), with the theme: ‘Birthing Words for Campaigns.’
 
Speaking on the origin of the words and their usages, the activists said ‘Sarowiwise’ was derived from an environmental activist name, Ken Saro-Wiwa, which means community mobilising for environmental justice; remembrance of a hero in environmental justice, and that ‘Ogonise’ simply means struggle for environmental justice.
 
Saro-Wiwa, who led a non-violent campaign against environmental degradation and the waters of Ogoniland by operations of the multiple international oil companies, especially the Royal Dutch Shell Company, was tried by a special military tribunal for allegedly masterminding the murder of Ogoni chiefs at a pro-government meeting and hanged in 1995 by the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha.
 
According to the activists, ‘Chikokise’, means a collective struggle; a struggle for impacted communities, mangrove and workers. They explained that ‘Aigbuhaense’, which was derived from a Benin word, means: ‘Do not pollute the water or do not compromise the source or collective welfare for generations to come’, while Adanegberise, which was also derived from a Benin word, means care for each other even in the struggle.
 
They further explained that ‘Awua’, was also derived from a Benin word, meaning it is forbidden – economic injustice is forbidden. According to them, ‘Brasinise’ was derived from an Ijaw word, meaning ‘leave the resources in the soil,’ while ‘Otogise’ was derived from a Yoruba word which means ‘enough is enough for oil extraction.’
 
The activists, who emphasised the need for the popularisation of these new words, stressed that words, if appropriately applied, are powerful and could drive authorities to speedy action.
 
In his opening remarks, Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, emphasised the need for activists to create new words in their campaign for environmental justice, saying these words can move authorities concerned to speedy action.

In his keynote address, a language expert and consultant for Oxford Dictionaries on review of lists of Nigerian English words for possible inclusion, Dr. Kingsley Ugwuanyi, described words as action and powerful.