SOOT LIFE EXPECTANCY

The Challenge

Since 2016, oil bunkering, gas flaring, and illegal refineries have choked the air

in Rivers State, Nigeria, with the worst soot pollution ever recorded in the country, ​exceeding the World Health Organization’s safe limits by 40 times on some days.

While the national life expectancy is 52, residents of Rivers State face a far harsher ​reality due to soot. It became clear that the state’s oil deposit which was meant

to be a blessing had become a curse for residents. Worse still, the national ​conversation had moved on, with little or nothing being said in the media about it.

So, how can we bring national and global attention to this deadly local problem?

Back to home

The Solution

To get global attention, an NGO, The Extra Step Initiative launched

THE SOOT LIFE EXPECTANCY campaign. Using soot data of 40 countries ​obtained from the German Environmental Protection Agency , we created

a formula to calculate a "soot life expectancy", a possible way of knowing ​how long people exposed to Port-Harcourt's poor air quality had to live.

This allowed everyone to see the direct impact of the soot crisis on lives. ​Furthermore, every visitor to the website had an automatic petition sent

on their behalf to Nigerian lawmakers, urging them to act and end the soot ​crisis. We also shot and released a documentary which aired at one of ​Nigeria's prestigious film festivals. The campaign was very successful

and brought home Nigeria and West Africa’s first-ever Cannes Lion,

a D&AD shortlist as well as a ton of international, regional and local awards.

52+

42,000+

MEDIA MENTIONS

LETTERS TO NIGERIAN LAWMAKERS

48

milllion

IMPRESSIONS