The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) has called for the establishment of a Niger Delta Remediation Programme and Trust Fund to address the devastating impact of environmental degradation in the region.
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Dr Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director of Centre LSD, made the call during a press conference on the Clean-Up of the Niger Delta, which held on Tuesday in Abuja.
This followed the release of a policy brief and advocacy report.
Igbuzor stated that the centre’s proposal is aimed at addressing the severe pollution caused by decades of oil exploration and extraction, which has devastated livelihoods and polluted the environment.
He explained that the proposed trust fund would serve as a sustainable financial mechanism to support ongoing remediation efforts, enabling the cleanup and restoration of contaminated lands, waterways, and ecosystems.
“It is recommended that the Presidency issue an Executive Order establishing a Niger Delta Environmental Remediation Programme and Trust Fund.
“This could operate either independently or be domiciled within the existing Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), which currently oversees the cleanup of Ogoniland.
“However, it should be supported by a separate trust fund from the Ogoni Trust Fund, an expanded Governing Council, and a credible management system designed to avoid the inconsistencies that have historically hindered HYPREP and the questionable progress of the Ogoni Clean-Up.
“The mandate of the programme should also include a comprehensive health audit, in addition to the standard environmental audit of affected areas”.
Igbuzor stressed the urgency of this initiative, given that the Niger Delta, rich in biodiversity and of great economic importance to Nigeria, has suffered extensive environmental damage.
He noted that this degradation has led to serious health risks, destruction of livelihoods, increased poverty, and widespread socio-economic hardship due to oil exploitation.
“For instance, between 2018 and 2019, there were 1,300 recorded oil spills, an average of five spills per day, according to the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency.
“Reliable estimates suggest that an average of 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger Delta each year.
“This equates to over 14 million litres of crude oil, or the equivalent of 429 fully loaded oil tankers, dumped into the rivers, land, and swamps of the region. Just 3.7 litres of oil is enough to contaminate approximately 3.7 million litres of water.
“Another dangerous consequence of crude oil extraction in the region is gas flaring; a practice that is both economically wasteful and environmentally damaging”.
He emphasised that restoring the Niger Delta must be a deliberate and strategic effort, beginning with a comprehensive approach to social, economic, and ecological recovery.
Igbuzor also recommended accelerating the Ogoni Clean-Up and addressing historical injustices relating to environmental and social justice in Ogoniland.
He added that Centre LSD is advocating for a halt to the resumption of oil extraction in Ogoniland until proper remediation is undertaken, and for action to be taken to tackle pollution in the broader Niger Delta.
He further called for the adoption of the National Principles on Divestment and Decommissioning in the Nigerian Oil Industry.
According to him, the document outlines strategies and guidelines developed by a broad coalition of community groups, civil society, and international organisations, based on extensive fieldwork and consultations in the Niger Delta.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Director of Centre LSD, Mr Monday Osasah, called for a comprehensive clean-up of the Niger Delta amidst worsening environmental conditions and health challenges in the region.
Osasah explained that in response to the environmental crisis, the Coalition for a Cleaned Niger Delta (CCND) was formed in April 2024 under the leadership of Nnimmo Bassey, to advocate for environmental remediation.
He noted that the initiative, titled ‘Advocacy for the Clean-Up of the Niger Delta and the Revamp of the Ecosystem’, builds on the work of the coalition.
He urged the federal government, oil companies, and all relevant stakeholders to commit fully to a transparent and holistic remediation process, in accordance with the recommendations of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Osasah lamented that, although the UNEP report on Ogoniland released in 2011 provided a clear roadmap for cleaning up oil-polluted areas, little progress has been made over a decade later in restoring the environment and livelihoods in the region. (NAN)
