Monday, November 3, 2025 - Environmental advocates have expressed deep concern over the worsening environmental conditions in the Niger Delta, calling for immediate action to address the region’s ecological crisis.
Speaking at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Oilwatch
International in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Coordinator, Kentebe
Ebiaridor, lamented the devastating impact of pollution on the region’s
ecosystem and its people.
Ebiaridor highlighted the stark reality in the Niger Delta,
where life expectancy is a mere 45 to 47 years, despite the region’s vast
contribution to Nigeria’s wealth.
“We are totally dissatisfied with the state of the Nigerian
environment. The life expectancy in the Niger Delta is between 45 and 47 years
despite contributing so much to the nation’s wealth,” Ebiaridor
said. “There must be transparency and accountability in the oil and gas
sector. We are calling for an immediate clean-up of the entire Niger Delta.”
The environmentalists are calling for immediate clean-up of
the entire Niger Delta, citing the health risks caused by gas flaring and oil
pollution.
“Gas flaring is a major source of air pollution affecting
millions of people in the region,” Ebiaridor said, urging the government and
oil companies to take responsibility for their actions.
The AGM with the theme ‘Advancing Climate Justice in Nigeria: From Fossil Fuel to Fossil
Freedom’ reflects the region’s renewed commitment to advancing
climate justice, environmental restoration and sustainable energy solutions in
the region.
He noted that the advocates were pushing for a transition to
renewable energy sources and an end to fossil fuel exploitation, which ravaged
the Niger Delta for decades.
The Executive Director of the Kebetkatche Women Development
and Resource Centre, Dr Emem Okon, emphasized the growing role of women in
advancing climate justice.
“Women are becoming more proactive in addressing climate
change. Through the Women Climate Assembly, we are building capacity in
renewable energy to empower women as green entrepreneurs,” Okon stated.
She added that women in flood-prone areas of the Niger Delta
bear the brunt of climate change impact and called for climate financing
targeted at women and local communities.
The meeting ended with a renewed commitment to advocate
sustainable energy, environmental restoration and justice for affected
communities in the Niger Delta and beyond.
The gathering brought together stakeholders, civil society
groups and community leaders to deliberate on strategies for addressing
environmental degradation and promoting a cleaner, more resilient future for
the Niger Delta.
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