By Ogadinma Wokoma, Port Harcourt
National News – Environmental activist and Executive Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has challenged journalists to take the lead in demanding accountability and urgent environmental cleanup in the Niger Delta, warning that communities in the region are suffering the devastating consequences of decades of oil pollution.
Bassey made the call on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Correspondents’ Week of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Port Harcourt.
Speaking on the theme, “The Imperatives of Comprehensive Cleanup of the Niger Delta Environment: Role of the Media,” Bassey said the environmental crisis in the oil-rich region has gone beyond rhetoric and now requires immediate and decisive action from the Federal Government.
“The time has gone beyond debating whether to do Niger Delta cleanup or not. The time now is to start the audit of the environment of the region and kick-start cleanup,” he declared.
The renowned environmentalist lamented that communities across the Niger Delta continue to live with contaminated water, destroyed farmlands, toxic air, and persistent gas flaring, while regulatory agencies and political leaders allegedly fail to act.
According to him, the scale of oil pollution in the region is so severe that the volume of crude spilled in a single day could rival some of the world’s worst environmental disasters, including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Our people are paying the price,” Bassey said, warning that continued inaction could leave parts of the Niger Delta permanently devastated, especially as the world gradually shifts away from fossil fuels.
“Nobody has the right to poison water, poison our soil, poison our air, and then run away to the bank with profits. That is totally immoral and unacceptable,” he added.
Bassey also faulted the longstanding narrative that most oil spills are caused by sabotage, insisting that aging and poorly maintained pipelines remain a major cause of environmental degradation in the region.
“When you see rotten pipelines put in exposed places, not protected or replaced when they are meant to be replaced, then it sounds silly to blame every spill on vandalism,” he stated.
He further linked the Niger Delta crisis to Nigeria’s overdependence on crude oil, arguing that the country’s agricultural sector, infrastructure, and education system suffered significant decline following the discovery of oil.
According to him, Nigeria once thrived as a major agricultural exporter before oil became the dominant source of national revenue.
On the issue of gas flaring, Bassey condemned the continued practice despite several court rulings declaring it illegal and a violation of the fundamental right to life. He noted that many affected communities are now seeking justice in foreign courts because local judgments are often ignored or poorly enforced.
The event, supported by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Nigeria LNG Limited, and Kebetkache Women Development Centre, attracted journalists and media practitioners from across Rivers State.
Bassey urged the media to intensify investigative and community-centered reporting on environmental issues in the Niger Delta, stressing that silence only emboldens polluters and negligent authorities.
“The fact that we are holding this conference today is a message to the government at all levels. They cannot keep on pretending that all is well because all is not well,” he said.
He concluded with a call on Niger Delta communities, particularly in Ogoni, to resist further oil exploration activities until comprehensive cleanup and environmental justice are achieved.
