The founding executive director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Dr. Otive Igbuzor has emphasised that the comprehensive clean-up of the Niger Delta region is crucial to reversing the decades-long pollution, especially in Ogoniland.
He made this known during a press briefing held at the Centre LSD Conference Room, where he presented a policy brief and advocacy asks focused on the clean-up of the Niger Delta and Ogoni land.
The press briefing laid bare the environmental degradation that has crippled the Niger Delta over the years. Igbuzor painted a grim picture of oil extraction’s devastating consequences on local communities – ruining livelihoods, contaminating natural resources, and posing serious public health risks. He stressed the urgent need for justice, accountability, and environmental remediation to address what he described as an ecological disaster.
According to him, the Niger Delta region has been subject to frequent oil spills, with an estimated 240,000 barrels of crude oil spilled annually. “This amounts to over 14 million litres of crude oil, or the equivalent of 429 fully loaded oil tankers, dumped into the rivers, lands, and swamps of the Niger Delta. It takes only 3.7 litres of oil to contaminate about 3.7 million litres of water,” he stated.
He explained that these oil spills have disrupted the two primary livelihood sources for Niger Delta residents – fishing and farming. Spilled crude causes the death of aquatic life and mangroves, which serve as breeding habitats for marine species. On farmlands, oil contamination kills crops and renders the soil infertile, leaving entire communities economically vulnerable.
Igbuzor also condemned the harmful practice of gas flaring, which he noted continues to pose both economic and environmental threats. “Of the 3.5 billion cubic feet of associated gas produced annually in Nigeria, 2.5 billion cubic feet – or 70 per cent – is flared. Between 2020 and 2024 alone, gas valued at $1.9 billion was wasted through flaring,” he said.
He highlighted that gas flaring contributes significantly to poisoning, cancer, and respiratory diseases among residents. “Life expectancy in the Niger Delta is just 41 years, compared to 54 years in other regions of the country,” he said. He called for a definitive health audit to assess the true scale of health impacts caused by years of unchecked oil and gas pollution.
Citing a detailed environmental assessment, Igbuzor stated that some locations in Bayelsa State have groundwater containing contaminants like chromium at levels over 1,000 times the World Health Organisation limit. In others, total petroleum hydrocarbons exceeded safe levels by up to a million times. Although the report focused on Bayelsa, similar or worse pollution is found across the Niger Delta.
He used the term “ecocide” to describe the situation – referring to unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that such actions could cause widespread and long-term environmental harm. “The relentless hydrocarbon pollution in the region is ecocide in its most brutal form,” he said.
He noted that the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) was established to clean up Ogoniland, but concerns over its effectiveness have persisted. “The performance of HYPREP is underwhelming. Communities report poor results in cleaning contaminated sites and delivering the emergency measures recommended by UNEP,” he said.
Igbuzor listed several troubling findings. Some locations reported as cleaned by HYPREP could not support plant growth. Journalists found that some contractors hired lacked relevant experience, and in certain instances, contracts were awarded to fictitious companies. Confidential communications showed senior UN officials viewed HYPREP as a “total failure.”
He noted that political interference had further compromised the process. “There are allegations that clean-up contracts were awarded to firms owned by politicians, creating conflicts of interest. HYPREP has also suffered instability, with six chairpersons in seven years,” he said.
To improve the clean-up, Igbuzor made the following recommendations:
Accelerate the Ogoni clean-up. Gaps in the UNEP-recommended remediation process must be addressed through stricter oversight, better contractor selection, and quality assurance. Justice must be served for past abuses. He called for recognition of the ecological and social injustice suffered by the Ogoni people, including the destruction of their environment, livelihoods, and leadership.
He also advised halting any plans to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland until justice is achieved, the environment is restored, and livelihoods are replaced.
To address pollution in the wider Niger Delta, he proposed that the Presidency issue an Executive Order to establish a Niger Delta Environmental Remediation Programme and Trust Fund. This could operate independently or within HYPREP, but must have a separate fund, an expanded governing council, and a transparent management system. Its mandate would include conducting both environmental and health audits in the affected areas.
He advocated for the adoption of National Principles on Divestment and Decommissioning in the Oil Sector – a framework developed by a coalition of civil society and community stakeholders to guide oil facility shutdowns and environmental responsibility.
Executive director of Centre LSD, Monday Osasah also spoke at the briefing. He called for sustained engagement and collective action to ensure that the Niger Delta clean-up is not just theoretical but yields measurable improvements in people’s lives.
“For over six decades, the Niger Delta – once lush, fertile and thriving – has borne the brunt of crude oil exploration and exploitation. Despite generating immense wealth for the country, its people have suffered environmental degradation, economic collapse, and social dislocation,” he said.
He referenced the 2011 UNEP Report and several community studies, noting that the contamination in Ogoniland is catastrophic. “Hydrocarbon pollution has poisoned water, soil, and air, leading to health challenges, economic losses, and widespread community despair,” Osasah said.
He added that the Coalition for a Cleaned Niger Delta (CCND), formed in April 2024 under the leadership of Arc. Nnimmo Bassey, was created to push for a comprehensive clean-up of the entire region. “The CCND is a unified platform comprising organisations and individuals committed to restoring the Niger Delta’s environment and dignity,” he explained.
Osasah stressed that the policy brief developed by the coalition would serve as an advocacy tool to demand the full implementation of the UNEP recommendations. It would also help amplify the voices of impacted communities and ensure duty bearers are held accountable.
The policy brief outlines a clear roadmap: strengthen environmental oversight, halt future extractions in contaminated zones, invest in livelihood restoration and implement health and environmental audits across impacted areas. According to Osasah, these actions are essential to building a healthier, safer and more sustainable Niger Delta.
Both Igbuzor and Osasah agreed that the path forward must involve accountability, transparency, and unwavering commitment to justice. “The people of the Niger Delta have waited too long. It’s time for real action,” they concluded.
As Nigeria continues to depend heavily on oil revenue, the country must confront the environmental and social costs borne by its oil-producing communities. The Niger Delta cleanup is not just an environmental imperative – it is a human rights obligation. The future of the region depends on decisions made today. Restoring it will require political will, institutional reform, community inclusion, and global solidarity.
