16/12/2025

Niké Wentholt and Obiozo Ukpabi will conduct research into so-called “transformative” justice in the Niger Delta. They have been awarded an NWO XS grant for this purpose.

We now know a great deal about how people seek compensation through the courts after institutional injustice. But exactly how this justice reaches them remains a mystery. How does money become justice?Niké Wentholt and Obiozo Ukpabi are delving into this black box of transformative justice: the distribution of compensation money from Shell to affected communities in the Niger Delta.

The researchers received a unique offer from a climate organisation that carried out this distribution. They were asked to study this process, which is usually inaccessible to researchers. This will enable them to discover how small, seemingly technical decisions can have a major impact on relationships and experiences of justice.

The title of the research is Into the Black Box of Transformative Justice: How Money Becomes Justice in the Distribution of Shell Compensation in the Niger Delta, applicant is Dr N.M. Wentholt, University of Humanistic Studies.

Read more on the UvH website here.