The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an urgent and comprehensive environmental audit and remediation of Nembe, Bayelsa State, amid concerns over declining fish stocks, water quality, pollution and worsening livelihoods in the community.
HOMEF made the call during a community capacity-sharing dialogue organised under its Justice Through Communities-Centred Policy Advocacy project.
The dialogue brought together traditional rulers, women, youths, farmers, fishers, local government representatives and other stakeholders to examine environmental changes in Nembe and identify priorities for policy intervention.
Read Also: the-5-hectare-sesame-mistake-that-taught-me-a-costly-lesson
Participants reported declining fish stocks, the disappearance and reduction of aquatic species, concerns over water quality and changes in traditional patterns of resource use, which they attributed largely to oil exploitation, pollution and other extractive activities.
They also expressed concern over what they described as weak environmental monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
Speaking on the concerns, HOMEF Executive Director, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, said the environmental changes reported by the community constituted a threat not only to the ecosystem but also to livelihoods, food security, public health and cultural heritage.
“Communities cannot continue to bear the environmental and economic costs of extraction while being treated as spectators in decisions about their own environment,” Bassey said.
HOMEF called for a comprehensive and transparent environmental audit of Nembe, covering water, soil and air quality, fish and other aquatic organisms, heavy metals and other contaminants.
The organisation also advocated regular food-safety and environmental health monitoring, particularly in view of concerns over the movement of pollutants through the food chain.
Health concerns featured prominently during the dialogue, with participants raising concerns about the possible effects of environmental pollution on women, children, newborns and future generations, including reproductive health.
The Director of Primary Health Care, Nembe Local Government Area, Chief Jude Pulemote, said oil exploration activities had contributed to health challenges among rural residents.
Pulemote specifically cited concerns over anaemia among pregnant women and the disruption of livelihoods associated with oil-related activities.
HOMEF stressed that environmental monitoring should be integrated with public health interventions, particularly for vulnerable groups.
Communities Demand Greater Participation: Another major concern raised at the dialogue was the limited involvement of host communities in environmental assessments and Joint Investigation Visits (JIVs).
Participants insisted that affected communities should be actively involved in environmental assessments, evidence gathering, JIVs, decision-making, remediation monitoring, and evaluation of cleanup activities.
HOMEF argued that communities should not be consulted only after environmental damage has occurred.
“Consultation is not participation. Meaningful participation means that communities have a voice throughout the process, from determining what is investigated to monitoring whether remediation has actually restored their environment,” the organisation said.
Participants also called for traditional and indigenous knowledge to be recognised alongside scientific evidence in environmental governance. They noted that indigenous systems had historically helped regulate the use of forests, rivers, fishing grounds and other natural resources.
HOMEF insists that concerns raised in Nembe should be considered alongside existing evidence of environmental degradation across the Niger Delta, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoniland, the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) Report and the Niger Delta Women’s Health Audit Report by the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre.
The organisation said the findings and recommendations contained in the reports had been documented in its Disasters Foretold and Retold publication. Stressing that the region could not afford another cycle of environmental assessments without corresponding action.
“Existing evidence must translate into remediation, restoration, accountability and protection of livelihoods,” the organisation said.
It consequently called on the Bayelsa State and Federal Governments, regulatory agencies and oil companies operating in the region to: conduct transparent and independent environmental and health assessments in Nembe, while ensuring meaningful community participation in JIVs, environmental assessments, remediation and monitoring.
Read Also: the-5-hectare-sesame-mistake-that-taught-me-a-costly-lesson
Strengthen enforcement of environmental laws and hold polluters accountable; implement relevant BSOEC recommendations, including the proposed environmental recovery fund and agency; decommission abandoned oil wells and address associated environmental risks; and accelerate remediation and ecological restoration of degraded areas.
Protect and restore fishing, farming and other community livelihoods by establishing appropriate mechanisms for compensation and livelihood recovery, strengthening environmental health monitoring and public health interventions, and recognising indigenous and community knowledge in environmental governance.
HOMEF said the people of Nembe and the Niger Delta were demanding more than token consultation in decisions affecting their environment and livelihoods. The people of Nembe and the Niger Delta at large are not asking to be heard after decisions have been made. They are demanding the right to participate in decisions that determine the health of their environment, their livelihoods and the future of generations to come,” the organisation said.
