OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS

International Mother Earth Day, Indigenous Religious Practices, and the Historical Treatment of Twins in Southern Nigeria

Date: 12 October 2026

From:
Da Effiong Daniel
African Holy Land Research Centre
Obot Akara, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

To:

• The Secretary-General of the United Nations
• The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• The United Nations Human Rights Council and relevant special procedures
• The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• Relevant African Union human-rights and cultural institutions

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR DIALOGUE AND RESEARCH CONCERNING ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVANCES, INDIGENOUS RELIGIOUS PRACTICES, AND HISTORICAL ABUSES AGAINST TWINS AND THEIR MOTHERS

Dear Secretary-General and Esteemed Representatives,

I write as an independent researcher associated with the African Holy Land Research Centre in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

My research examines the historical memory of Ikpaisong, an Earth-associated religious institution described in oral traditions from parts of Southern Nigeria. The study investigates reports linking the institution's authority with practices of ritual appeasement and, in some accounts, the killing of twins and the exclusion of mothers who gave birth to them.

I am writing to request greater attention to the relationship between environmental responsibility, Indigenous religious practices, and the protection of human dignity.

My concern is not that environmental protection is wrong. On the contrary, the protection of the Earth is an important responsibility shared by humanity.

My concern is that environmental initiatives and cultural observances should be examined with sufficient care to distinguish ecological stewardship from religious practices that may be coercive, discriminatory, or harmful to human beings.

1. BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH

Local oral traditions examined in my research associate Ikpaisong with the Earth and with a system of religious and social authority.

Some traditions describe historical beliefs and practices that placed twins at risk and subjected their mothers to exclusion or degrading treatment. The research also records traditions of resistance, including an account identifying Anwada Umoette with resistance to the rejection of twins around 1795.

The research further records an account of a confrontation involving Dr. Henry Farrar and custodians associated with Ikpaisong in 1964 at Abiakpo Ikot Abasi Inyang.

These accounts form part of the historical and religious memory of the communities under study. They require further archival research, independent oral-history corroboration, and careful documentation. I do not present every detail as conclusively established, and I welcome scholarly examination of the evidence.

I believe that the history merits attention because the reported practices concern fundamental questions of life, family dignity, religious authority, and the treatment of children.

2. INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY

The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 April as International Mother Earth Day in 2009 through Resolution 63/278.

The resolution recognises the Earth and its ecosystems as humanity's home and promotes a balance between economic, social, and environmental needs through harmony with nature and the planet.

I acknowledge these stated objectives and the importance of protecting the natural environment.

My research raises a comparative theological question concerning the expression “Mother Earth” and local traditions in which the Earth is understood not only as the natural environment but also as a spiritual power associated with ritual obligations.

The comparison is not a claim that the United Nations adopted Ikpaisong practices or that the designation of International Mother Earth Day was historically derived from Ikpaisong. I have not established such a connection.

Rather, I ask how international environmental initiatives can maintain clarity about their ecological objectives while respecting freedom of conscience and avoiding any implication that religious ritual is required for environmental protection.

Environmental stewardship and religious worship are not identical. Protecting forests, rivers, soil, biodiversity, and the climate does not inherently require appeasement of a deity.

I therefore encourage the United Nations and its partners to continue making this distinction clear in educational materials and public communications.

3. HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises the right to life, protection against cruel and degrading treatment, recognition before the law, and equality before the law.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises every child's inherent right to life and calls for the abolition of traditional practices prejudicial to children's health.

These principles are directly relevant to any historical practice that may have resulted in the killing of twins, the degrading treatment of mothers, or discrimination against families on the basis of childbirth.

My request is that relevant institutions support careful documentation of such practices where they have occurred, including the voices of affected families and communities.

This should be undertaken without stereotyping entire ethnic or cultural groups. Indigenous communities are diverse, and many individuals within them have resisted harmful practices and defended vulnerable people.

The objective should be historical truth, protection of human rights, and recognition of those who helped bring about change.

4. REQUEST FOR RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION

I respectfully request that the relevant United Nations bodies consider supporting or encouraging the following initiatives:

A. Documentation of historical practices

Encourage independent academic research into historical reports of twin-killing, the exclusion of mothers of twins, and other practices that may have harmed children or families in Southern Nigeria.

B. Oral-history preservation

Support ethically conducted interviews with survivors, descendants, community historians, religious leaders, and other witnesses, subject to informed consent and appropriate privacy safeguards.

C. Archival investigation

Encourage the preservation and examination of missionary, church, family, and community records that may help establish the chronology and circumstances of the reported changes in local practices.

D. Human-rights education

Promote education affirming the inherent dignity of every child and the equal dignity of mothers, while engaging Indigenous communities respectfully and without collective condemnation.

E. Environmental and religious clarity

Encourage environmental programmes to distinguish conservation and ecological responsibility from religious ritual, while respecting the rights of individuals who may decline participation in religious ceremonies.

F. Recognition of local resistance

Where historical evidence supports it, encourage public recognition of local individuals, families, community members, and religious actors who opposed practices that endangered twins or degraded their mothers.

G. Commemoration and further dialogue

Consider whether the documented history could support an educational or commemorative initiative in Southern Nigeria, developed in consultation with affected communities and based on verified evidence.

I am not requesting that the United Nations adopt my theological interpretation. I am requesting that the historical and human-rights questions be examined on their merits.

5. THE THEOLOGICAL QUESTION

As a Christian researcher, I distinguish between the Creator and creation.

Genesis 1:1 identifies God as Creator. Psalm 24:1 declares that the Earth belongs to the Lord. Genesis 2:15 presents human beings as responsible for cultivating and keeping the garden.

These passages shape my understanding of environmental responsibility. I believe Christians should protect the Earth because creation is God's work, not because ecological care requires worship of the Earth as a deity.

I recognise that people and cultures use the expression “Mother Earth” in different ways. I do not assume that everyone who uses this expression is engaging in worship or ritual appeasement.

My concern is that such distinctions should remain visible in international dialogue, especially when environmental language intersects with Indigenous religious traditions.

I ask that environmental stewardship, freedom of religion or belief, cultural rights, and the protection of children be addressed together rather than treated as mutually exclusive concerns.

6. MY RESEARCH AND THE ROLE OF AFRICAN HOLY LAND

My ongoing research, titled From Death to Life, examines Indigenous resistance, missionary intervention, the historical memory of Ikpaisong, the liberation of twins, and the emergence of African Holy Land as a religious and cultural identity in Southern Nigeria.

The research combines historical inquiry, oral tradition, cultural analysis, biblical interpretation, and personal prophetic testimony.

I recognise that these forms of knowledge serve different purposes. Oral testimony can preserve important memories, but individual historical claims require corroboration. Prophetic interpretation expresses a theological position, but it does not replace documentary evidence.

I am willing to make the research available for scholarly review and to identify the evidence supporting particular historical claims.

I also welcome dialogue with historians, anthropologists, theologians, human-rights researchers, environmental scholars, and representatives of the communities concerned.

7. CONCLUSION AND REQUEST FOR RESPONSE

I respectfully ask the relevant United Nations offices to consider this letter as an invitation to dialogue about the relationship between environmental observances, Indigenous religious traditions, and human dignity.

I do not allege that the United Nations has been shown to revive Ikpaisong or to endorse the historical practices described in my research. The evidence available to me does not establish such a claim.

My request is that the United Nations continue to uphold environmental protection while ensuring that human-rights concerns, including historical abuses against children and mothers, are not overlooked.

I would welcome guidance concerning the appropriate channels for submitting a research memorandum, supporting documentation, or a proposal for further academic and human-rights engagement.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours faithfully,

Da Effiong Daniel
African Holy Land
African Holy Land Research Centre
Obot Akara, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Research title: From Death to Life: Indigenous Resistance, Missionary Intervention, and the Global Rise and Fall of Ikpaisong in the Liberation of Twins and the Rise of African Holy Land in Southern Nigeria.