Environmental advocates and stakeholders have called on the federal
government and oil extracting companies to extend the ongoing environmental
cleanup efforts in Ogoniland to all oil-producing communities in the region,
citing persistent oil spills, pollution and environmental degradation.
This was established at the Regional Dialogue on the Niger Delta
Environmental Cleanup: Issues and Ways Forward, organised by the MIIDEEKOR
Environmental Development Initiative (MEDI) in Port Harcourt on August
13, 2026.
Renowned environmental activist and Team Lead of MEDI Comrade Celestine
Akpobari while presenting his opening remarks at the meeting said the cleanup
being undertaken in Ogoni by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation
Project (HYPREP) should not be regarded as the end of efforts to
restore the wider Niger Delta environment.
According to him, decades of oil exploration and exploitation have left
communities across the region heavily polluted, while the divestment of
international oil companies has raised concerns about who will take
responsibility for environmental liabilities left behind.
He warned that environmental restoration in Ogoni could be undermined by
pollution occurring in neighbouring parts of the Niger Delta because of the
interconnected nature of the region's waterways.
“Ogoniland will not be clean until other parts of the Niger Delta are clean,
because the entire Niger Delta is interconnected by water,” he said.
Akpobari cited the possibility of a major oil spill in Andoni contaminating
waterways and potentially undermining restoration efforts, particularly
mangrove revegetation being undertaken as part of the Ogoni cleanup.
He urged stakeholders to move beyond discussions and develop coordinated
strategies capable of compelling government and oil companies to undertake
comprehensive cleanup operations in every oil-producing state.
Bille Gas Leakage Raises Fresh Concern
Also speaking at the dialogue, Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development
and Resource Centre, Emem Okon, drew attention to the gas
leakages reported in Bille Kingdom in Rivers State.
Okon warned that the issue, which attracted significant media attention when
it first emerged, risked being forgotten despite the potential danger to the
community.
She described Bille as a community “at the brink of fire” and called for
urgent action to address the situation before it develops into a major
environmental or public safety crisis.
Okon also highlighted the role of women in environmental protection and
advocacy, calling for greater inclusion of women in decision-making spaces and
leadership positions.
According to her, the responses to issues affecting women and the
contributions women make to environmental advocacy have not been commensurate
with the challenges they face.
She therefore called for stronger efforts to place women's concerns at the center of environmental policy, community development and decision-making processes.
Bayelsa Described as Heavily Polluted
Foremost environmental monitor and Chief Operating Officer of Environmental
Conservation, Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD), Alagoa Morris,
drew attention to findings contained in the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment
Commission report, which documented extensive environmental pollution and its
consequences in the state.
Morris said regulatory findings and environmental reports had highlighted
the severity of pollution in Bayelsa, yet comprehensive cleanup efforts had not
followed.
He criticized what he described as inadequate responses to oil pollution,
alleging that in some cases contaminated materials are simply scooped up and
buried rather than subjected to comprehensive remediation.
He said the findings of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission and
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report largely confirmed
concerns that environmental organisations and community groups had raised for
years, documenting the loss of livelihoods, health consequences and widespread
environmental destruction resulting from oil pollution.
He added that the Bayelsa environmental report had been submitted to the
President by the state governor, but said neither the Federal Government nor
the oil companies had publicly provided an adequate response to its findings.
Morris called on the Presidency, oil companies and international oil
companies that have divested their Nigerian assets to address their
environmental liabilities.
Traditional Ruler Decries Six-Year Oil Well Fire
The dialogue also drew attention to the prolonged environmental crisis
facing communities along the Ondo coastline.
The traditional ruler representing Ayetoro Community in Ilaje Local
Government Area of Ondo State, HRH Oba Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi,
spoke about a fire that has reportedly continued to burn for about six years at
the Ororo-1 oil well, located offshore near Awoye and Ayetoro.
The traditional ruler lamented the impact of oil and gas pollution on
aquatic life and community livelihoods, as well as the erosion and loss of the
community's landmass.
According to him, several homes, schools, churches and other community
infrastructure have either been submerged or destroyed as the Atlantic Ocean
continues to advance.
He called on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to compel the
companies responsible to put out the fire and address the wider environmental
consequences.
Stakeholders Call for Shift from
Compensation to Accountability
Moderating a panel session at the dialogue, Executive Director of We
The People, Ken Henshaw, urged communities and civil society
organisations to broaden their demands beyond monetary compensation.
Henshaw argued that financial compensation alone cannot restore ecosystems
or remove hydrocarbons from contaminated air, soil, water and human bodies.
He called on civil society organisations to strengthen advocacy and
accountability campaigns targeting oil companies, regulatory agencies and
government institutions responsible for preventing and responding to
environmental pollution.
According to him, sustained pressure is required to ensure that those
responsible for environmental degradation are compelled to remediate affected
communities and address the long-term consequences of oil and gas extraction.
Stakeholders Develop Accountability Roadmap
The regional dialogue brought together environmental advocates, community
representatives, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to examine
the state of environmental remediation across the Niger Delta and identify ways
to strengthen accountability.
Discussions centred on persistent oil spills, gas pollution, environmental
degradation, corporate divestment, community livelihoods, women's participation
in environmental decision-making and the need for stronger government
intervention.
At the end of the meeting, participants developed an action plan for
building a Niger Delta Environmental Cleanup Accountability Roadmap,
aimed at strengthening coordinated advocacy and ensuring greater accountability
for environmental restoration across the region.
The stakeholders maintained that while the Ogoni cleanup remains an
important step towards addressing decades of environmental damage, lasting
restoration of the Niger Delta will require a region-wide approach that
addresses pollution across all oil-producing communities and ensures that
companies responsible for environmental liabilities do not evade
responsibility.
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