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| Photo of Rachel Ikemeh |
Nigerian conservationist Rachel Ikemeh has been named a 2026 laureate of the Rolex Awards for her work with local communities to protect the Niger Delta’s unique ecosystem and the critically endangered Niger Delta red colobus monkey.
Protecting the Endangered Niger Delta Red Colobus
The Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni), locally known as the epieni, is among the world’s most threatened primates. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species faces a serious risk of extinction because of habitat loss and other environmental pressures.
The monkey was first scientifically described in 1993, when its population was estimated at around 10,000 individuals across its restricted habitat in the Niger Delta. By 2013, however, its numbers had fallen to just hundreds, according to research cited in reporting on Ikemeh’s conservation work.
In 2021, Ikemeh and her colleagues helped establish a community-protected area covering 1,010 hectares (2,496 acres) in Apoi, a community within the monkey’s habitat. The initiative places local people at the centre of efforts to protect the forest and its wildlife.
The results have offered encouraging signs. Ikemeh told Mongabay by email that the red colobus population in the community-protected forest increased from 90 individuals in 2021 to between 180 and 200 by 2024. Her team has also supported the establishment of community conservation areas in the nearby communities of Garnaut and Kokoloama.
How Local Communities Are Making a Difference
For Ikemeh, receiving the Rolex Award represents more than a personal achievement. She described the honour as validation of the community-led conservation model and the people who have worked to protect their natural environment.
She said attitudes towards conservation have changed considerably over the years. Initially, some community members were suspicious that the project might lead to the government taking control of their forest. Today, she says, the epieni has become a source of pride for the community.
1. The Pleiades (The 7 Sisters)
As autumn evenings become shorter, one of the sky’s most familiar star groups grows ever more conspicuous. The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, are a group of young stars in the constellation Taurus, about 440 light-years away. They are normally visible to the naked eye as about 6 points, but using binoculars or a telescope will display many more. Look in the eastern sky and you will see them.
There is nothing quite like a freshly brewed cup of coffee, but how hot you drink it may be worth considering. A 2026 study involving nearly one million UK adults found an association between drinking very hot beverages and an increased risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, a type of cancer that affects the oesophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.
The research, conducted by experts from the University of Oxford and published in the International Journal of Cancer, examined the relationship between beverage temperature, drinking habits and oesophageal cancer risk.
What Did the Study Find?
The study analysed data from 977,282 middle-aged adults. Researchers classified drinks consumed at temperatures of 65°C (149°F) or above as very hot.
According to the findings, people who preferred very hot drinks had approximately three times the risk of developing oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with those who preferred warm drinks. The researchers also found that consuming six or more hot beverages daily was associated with a higher risk.
It is important to understand what these findings mean. The study identified an association rather than proving that drinking hot coffee directly causes cancer. The reported increase refers to relative risk, not the likelihood that an individual coffee drinker will develop the disease.
The findings nevertheless support the importance of allowing very hot beverages to cool before drinking them.
This has been sitting on my mind for a while, and as uncomfortable as it is for me to write about it, I feel like I need to get it out. I have been going over the same thoughts again and again, trying to understand why I feel the way I do. The truth is, I haven’t come to any conclusion. I’m not accusing anyone of anything, and I’m not trying to create a problem where there isn’t one. I genuinely want to look at this with an open mind, which is why I’m bringing it here. Sometimes you can ask a question directly, but sometimes even asking the question can make it seem as though you have already made up your mind or are taking offence. So instead, I want to tell you exactly what happened and let you tell me whether I’m seeing something that isn’t there or whether you understand why I feel a little uncomfortable about the whole situation.
It started with a property I was trying to fence back home. When you are not physically present for a project, you have no choice but to trust people. You have to give people the benefit of the doubt and hope that everything is being handled properly. Unfortunately, I started noticing changes in behaviour from the person handling the fencing. Whenever I tried to communicate or ask questions, I sometimes felt that they were becoming defensive, even when I wasn’t accusing them of anything. Eventually, I became frustrated and decided to pause the project. It was almost finished, but I needed to step back and figure out what to do next.
During that period, I thought about who might be able to help me find someone. One person immediately came to mind: a childhood friend whom I love very much.
We have known each other since we were children. We met in children’s church back home, around the time my family had just moved into the first house my dad built. We were both still in primary school, and somehow that friendship stayed with us as we grew older. Even though we have different ideas about certain things in life, we have always respected each other. We talk about relationships, family, life, beauty, work and all sorts of things.
We have supported each other over the years, even from a distance. When I go back home, we make sure we see each other. She sleeps over at my house, we have gone out together, and we have stayed in touch despite living far apart. Our conversations are so healthy and happy. We talk about beautiful things, family, memories, church, life and whatever else is happening. She is genuinely someone I consider a close friend and sister.
And there is something else I realised while thinking about this situation: I have never asked her to do anything for me. Not because I don't trust her or because there is anything wrong with our friendship. I simply never had a reason to ask. If there was no need for her to do something for me, why would I ask her? It just happened that way.
Then the fencing situation came up.
I knew I needed someone back home who could supervise the work because I wasn’t there. It wasn’t a case of asking her to do the actual fencing. I needed someone who could go to the property, supervise what was happening, make sure things were progressing properly and generally keep an eye on things. Their transport would be paid, and they would also receive a salary for the period, which would probably be a month. If the job was completed before the month was up, they would still receive the full one-month's pay.
I asked my friend if she could help me find someone suitable. She said she would.
At first, I thought nothing of it. I waited. A week passed, then another. We continued talking, but there was no conversation about the person I needed. Eventually, I brought it up myself and asked if she had managed to find anyone. She told me she hadn't.
I said that was fine and told her to take her time, because she also works and life can get so stressful.
Later, she told me she had spoken to someone, but the person hadn't given her a definite answer. Again, I said that was fine. Then she mentioned another person who might be able to do it, although she wasn't sure whether that person would be willing to take on the supervising role.
She told me different people said they were interested but she would message me last minute and say they backed off. I told her to take her time and if she needed anything, she should let me know. I always expressed how grateful I was for the help.
Eventually, she told me she had spoken to four more persons. It was already getting to 3 months. I remember thinking, “Okay, which one do you think is most suitable?”
She told me about one person who seemed willing to take the job and said they had agreed to everything. I told her to send the person all the necessary information. The next step was simply to take this person to the property so they could see the location before starting.
Then the day came.
What would you do if someone stole a huge amount of money from you, you knew exactly who did it, and the police couldn’t help you? Would you walk away and accept that the money is gone, or would you find a way to get it back yourself? What if getting your money back meant becoming just as clever, patient and calculated as the person who stole it? At what point does getting justice become revenge?
These are the questions that came to mind while reading Jeffrey Archer’s Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less. The story begins with Harvey Metcalfe, a wealthy and extremely experienced con man who knows exactly how to make people trust him. He manages to convince four very different men that they are making a brilliant investment in an oil company. They put their money in, believing they have made a smart financial decision, only to discover that the whole thing was a carefully planned scam.
The four men are left with nothing, but what makes this story interesting is that they don't simply accept defeat. They realise they have all been victims of the same man, and instead of waiting for the police to somehow fix everything, they decide to take matters into their own hands.
What follows is not the kind of revenge where people simply lose their tempers and start throwing punches. These men are educated, intelligent and patient. They study Harvey. They watch him. They learn what makes him tick and then begin creating their own little traps for him.
And honestly, this is where the book got me.
You know what Harvey has done. You know he deserves to lose the money. But then you start wondering whether the four men are really any better once they begin deceiving him themselves. I found myself almost rooting for them while also thinking, “How far are you actually willing to go?”
The title tells you exactly what they want: not a penny more, not a penny less. They don't want Harvey's entire fortune. They want what he took from them.