Environmental advocacy and civil society groups have renewed calls for accountability and environmental justice in the Niger Delta.
They lamented that decades of oil and gas exploration have left the region devastated while multinational oil companies move to divest from onshore operations without adequately addressing pollution and environmental damage.
These concerns were raised in a statement by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) ahead of the 5th edition of the Niger Delta Alternatives Convergence (NDAC),
The statement by Joyce Brown, Director of Programmes at HOMEF indicates that the event is
scheduled to hold in Uyo, Akwa Ibom on May 14..
NDAC is organised by HOMEF in collaboration with its partners.
According to the organisation, nearly 70 years of oil exploration in the Niger Delta have resulted in widespread environmental degradation, including polluted rivers, destroyed farmlands, and contaminated drinking water.
The adverse impacts include dying mangroves and abandoned oil infrastructure, leaving many communities struggling for survival despite the region’s enormous contribution to Nigeria’s economy.
The group noted that Nigeria recorded at least 589 oil spills in 2024 alone, with approximately 19,000 barrels of crude reportedly released into the environment, further worsening ecological and health conditions across oil-producing communities.
Brown, said communities in the Niger Delta have continued to bear the brunt of environmental pollution, with many residents lacking access to clean water and healthcare while depending on contaminated rivers and streams for daily use.
She said studies have linked oil spills in the region to respiratory illnesses, skin diseases, infertility, birth defects, higher infant mortality and increased neonatal deaths among babies born near polluted sites.
Brown lamented that calls for oil companies to halt harmful extraction practices, decommission ageing facilities and pay compensation to affected communities had largely been ignored over the years.
She recalled that the 2024 Niger Delta Alternatives Convergence, the Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom in Bayelsa State, King Bubaraye Dakolo, described the Niger Delta as “one of the most polluted places in the universe,” saying decades of oil extraction had altered the social and economic fabric of communities and made livelihoods increasingly difficult.
Environmental groups also cited recent oil spill incidents linked to ageing infrastructure.
In May 2025, a major spill reportedly occurred along the Trans Niger Pipeline in B-Dere community, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, marking the second major leak on the facility within two months after an earlier incident in March 2025.
HOMEF and its partners said the incidents underscored the dangers posed by obsolete oil facilities and stressed the need for proper decommissioning rather than expansion of fossil fuel operations.
The organisation further highlighted the plight of Ogoniland, where abandoned oil infrastructure and repeated spills have continued to contaminate farmlands and water sources.
It referenced incidents in Kpean in August 2025 and Eteo-Eleme in June 2023, which reportedly displaced residents and destroyed livelihoods.
HOMEF insisted that any plans to resume oil exploration in Ogoni communities should be suspended until full environmental remediation and restoration are carried out.
The group called on both national and international oil companies to safely decommission ageing facilities, clean polluted sites, restore degraded ecosystems and compensate affected communities for economic losses suffered over decades of extraction activities.
It added that the NDAC platform was established to promote collective action and people-centred alternatives for socio-ecological justice in the Niger Delta.
HOMEF recalled that since NDAC’s inception in 2022, the convergence has brought together activists, traditional rulers, women and youth groups, religious leaders, scholars and civil society organisations to discuss sustainable development pathways for the region.
The 2026 edition of the convergence will also spotlight communities in Ogoni, Nigeria, and Yasuni, Ecuador, which organisers say have successfully resisted fossil fuel exploitation for decades.
Organisers said the event would be streamed live on the official YouTube page of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation
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