They appeared to be helpful, but Martha Agbani, the leader of the women, sensed danger. She sharply instructed them to leave it and let the women carry instead. Agbani had encountered these men in Yaataah before and knew that their offer came with a threat: if she didn't pay them, there would be trouble. She was determined to create job opportunities for the women, as she had witnessed the struggles of women from Ogoniland in the oil-rich Niger Delta region who fought against polluting oil companies and faced difficulties being heard over men throughout her life. She was determined to keep men from interfering with her new project of establishing a large nursery to grow mangrove plants to sell to Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria. Agbani, a strong woman with a kind but firm demeanor, aimed to create a business that could benefit women financially and help restore the environment. Mangroves have natural abilities to filter water, prevent erosion, and support aquatic life, which in turn sustains humans. The Niger Delta once had a harmonious relationship with its mangrove ecosystem, but the impact of oil production, crucial for Nigeria's revenue, has led to the destruction of these forests. In 2011, a major report by the United Nations Environment Program highlighted the pollution in Ogoniland and estimated that it could take up to 30 years to clean up. However, the government agency responsible for remediation, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, has been slow to take action. Following two oil spills in 2007 and 2008 that devastated mangrove forests near Bodo, Shell agreed to compensate the community, clean up the oil, and replant the mangroves. Agbani saw an opportunity in this situation, as the company would need a large number of mangroves, which are important for protecting coastlines and providing habitat for marine life in the Niger Delta. She began by planting mangroves in her own yard, and then sought out a suitable location to establish a nursery. This led her to Yaataah, where the once lush mangrove forests had been decimated by past environmental disasters and the invasion of nipa palms introduced by the British. Despite the challenges, she began planning the project's implementation at Yaataah and brought in over 100 female mangrove planters to commemorate its launch in late 2019. However, during the celebration, she encountered difficulties when a group of young men suddenly arrived and demanded money and snacks meant for the women. When she confronted them about the women coming to help restore the land for their mothers and sisters to harvest periwinkles, they responded by physically attacking her. They dragged her from behind, causing the situation to escalate. After this incident, Agbani and her team left Yaataah and did not return for months. Although she decided to relocate the nursery to a different area with the help of a local leader, she still felt a connection to Yaataah. They had a good creek available for practicing planting mangroves directly from seeds in the wild, rather than starting them in plastic grow bags at the nursery in Bodo. In May 2021, the women returned to plant the mangroves, carrying sacks on their heads and wading into the creek barefoot. The water quickly became murky as they stirred up the sediment with their feet. Agbani, 45, laughed as she felt something swirling around her legs and struggled to keep her balance in the muddy water. "Oh, dear, Martha is an elderly lady." The location was ideal, with minimal oil pollution and the sounds of birds, frogs, and crickets still filling the air. Similar to other creeks in the Niger Delta, this one was obstructed by nipa palms, but Agbani had organized for villagers to clear a significant portion of them. The women moved swiftly through the mud to the patch, passing the podlike seeds from hand to hand and planting them at regular intervals under Agbani's guidance. One of the women, Jessy Nubani, sang a popular call-and-response song as they worked, with the other women joining in harmony. The young men returned with their friends on motorcycles, but stayed on shore after receiving a scolding from Agbani. Agbani's activism was influenced by her mother, who was involved in the Ogoni people's fight against the Nigerian government and Shell in the 1990s. She worked alongside her mother for the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, which was established in 1990 to address the environmental destruction caused by multinational oil companies in the region. Agbani was inspired by the work of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed by the Nigerian government in 1995. She vividly remembers the day Saro-Wiwa was arrested while she was a student in Bori, his hometown, and witnessed the city's reaction from a hiding spot in a drain. She recounted how chaos erupted as people fled in all directions, with soldiers entering the communities and firing shots in Bori. The violent events, coupled with Saro-Wiwa's advocacy for the oppressed, inspired her to advocate for her community. She noted that while numerous organizations were addressing environmental issues, few were addressing the specific rights of women who were disproportionately affected by oil pollution. She stated that women were constantly crying and being victims of various situations, and she felt the need to empower them. In Ogoniland, men typically go deep-sea fishing while women traditionally gather crustaceans near the shore for soup or to sell. Without mangroves and shellfish to harvest, women become solely dependent on men, which often leads to violence. Agbani believed that the Ogoni people were responsible for preserving the environment for future generations. It saddened her to witness young men from the area hindering and attempting to benefit from the women's work to restore it. She expressed frustration at their lack of understanding of the significance of environmental restoration. Before leaving, the leader of the group threatened to take her to court, which she found amusing and ironic. "That will be a great one," she said as she left Yaataah on a rough road towards the nursery in Bodo. The driver quickly moved out of the way for a group of motorbikes heading towards the village, filled with young men who had come too late to make money as Agbani was already leaving.