The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre has called for a renewed and improved relationship with the oceans to achieve climate justice, as the world marks World Oceans Day 2026.
In a statement issued on June 8, the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr. Fyneface Fyneface, aligned with the global theme, “Reimagine: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean,” urging stakeholders to rethink how oceans are perceived and protected.
The organisation noted that the theme underscores the need to move beyond viewing the ocean as a distant resource, to recognising it as a vital life-support system. It stressed that for coastal communities in the Niger Delta, such rethinking is critical due to persistent environmental threats.
YEAC-Nigeria highlighted that Nigeria’s Atlantic coastlines, creeks, and estuaries continue to face pollution from oil spills, gas flaring, plastic waste, and illegal fishing, all of which threaten marine biodiversity and local livelihoods.
The group also raised concerns over pollution from illegal artisanal crude oil refining, locally known as “kpo-fire,” describing it as a major and ongoing environmental hazard. According to the statement, these activities release unburnt crude, toxic sludge, soot, and heavy metals into water bodies.
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It warned that the consequences include the destruction of fish breeding grounds, contamination of water sources with carcinogenic substances, and increased health risks such as respiratory illnesses and skin diseases. The group added that soot emissions from incomplete combustion contribute to climate warming and reduce air quality across the region.
YEAC-Nigeria said the cumulative impact of such pollution threatens the survival of millions of people in coastal communities who depend on healthy marine ecosystems for their livelihoods.
In line with the 2026 action focus on strengthening Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the organisation said it is intensifying advocacy for expanded ocean conservation efforts and stricter enforcement against activities that drive marine pollution.
The group also referenced several of its ongoing initiatives, including efforts to combat organised crime in the Gulf of Guinea, promote alternative livelihoods, and deploy data-driven systems to monitor oil spills and environmental degradation.
YEAC-Nigeria called on key stakeholders, including the Federal Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), and oil companies, to take urgent action.
It urged accelerated cleanup of polluted environments in line with international and national reports, support for community-led marine conservation projects such as mangrove restoration, stricter enforcement of environmental regulations, and the development of sustainable alternatives to illegal refining.
The organisation also advocated for the institutionalisation of the Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) as a strategy to address pollution and organised crime in the oil sector.
YEAC-Nigeria further called on citizens, civil society organisations, and the media to use the occasion of World Oceans Day to promote awareness and action toward ocean protection.
“Protecting the ocean is protecting our future,” the statement concluded.
