Renowned environmentalist and Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has called for urgent climate action and genuine community empowerment to address the long-standing environmental devastation in the Niger Delta.
Bassey made this passionate appeal in his keynote address at the 3rd Niger Delta Climate Conference, held in Port Harcourt.
Speaking on the theme “Building a Resilient Future: Climate Action and Community Empowerment,” Bassey described the Niger Delta as one of the most polluted regions on the planet. He highlighted a litany of environmental abuses and neglect, pointing to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) 2021 report on Ogoniland, which revealed hydrocarbon pollution sinking as deep as 10 meters into the soil.
He also referenced the 2023 Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission report titled “An Environmental Genocide,” which chronicled staggering levels of contamination, including daily gas flaring from 17 facilities, toxic chemicals in groundwater, and total petroleum hydrocarbons exceeding safe levels by a factor of one million.
“The Niger Delta is a deeply degraded territory a sacrifice zone where people are the living dead, describing environmental degradation in the region as a form of ecocide and environmental genocide.
Bassey emphasized that resilience means more than simply enduring hardship. “Resilience is overcoming hazards, restoring what was lost, and making polluters pay for the damage,” he said.
He warned that without tackling the root causes of climate injustice including unchecked fossil fuel extraction, regulatory failure, and lack of cleanup or remediation the region cannot hope for a sustainable future.
He criticized the ongoing oil spills and blowouts, such as the six-week spill in 2021 on the Santa Barbara River and the still-burning Ororo-1 wellhead off the coast of Ondo State, calling them evidence of “systemic neglect.”
Also Read: Flood Wrecks Havoc in Port Harcourt, Submerges Vehicles
“Climate action must begin with truth, transparency, and justice. We need a full environmental audit of the entire Niger Delta, a health audit to understand the toll on human life, a comprehensive cleanup, and reparations for affected communities.”
He decried recent oil company divestments, accusing them of abandoning polluted sites and passing the burden to underregulated successors. “This isn’t transition, it’s evasion,” he said.
On community empowerment, Bassey advocated for: An end to gas flaring, describing it as a criminal act against humanity and nature. Community-controlled renewable energy projects to replace the destructive legacy of fossil fuel dependency.
Promotion of food sovereignty through agroecology and sustainable farming practices. Restorative justice that holds polluters accountable and centers community voices in resource governance.
He called for energy democracy in the Niger Delta, where communities currently lit only by gas flares can access sustainable electricity for productive use.
Bassey concluded by urging stakeholders to prioritize ecological, species, and intergenerational justice in all environmental interventions. “This future we seek belongs to generations unborn. What we do now must guarantee them a thriving planet,” he said.
The Niger Delta Climate Conference, hosted by HOMEF and other civil society partners, continues to serve as a platform for dialogue, resistance, and policy advocacy for environmental justice across the region.
