Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has attributed the deteriorating state of the Niger Delta environment to the actions of International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Nigerian government.
Bassey, a distinguished environmentalist and Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), described the Niger Delta region as a “privatised and sacrifice zone” during a two-day discussion titled “School of Ecology Recovering Oil Sacrifice Zone” at Niger Delta University on Friday.
According to him, the current focus is on global sacrifice zones and how to reduce and eliminate pollution. “My initial assessment of what we plan to do today and tomorrow is that the Niger Delta is a privatised and sacrifice zone. The whole region has been privatised. South African gold mines, gas fields, phosphate fields in Togo, and Western Sahara. All of these are sacrifices. The lands and people are sacrificed, and all of the revenue is used to fund corrupt politicians. These become clearer to us when we realise that we are the land, not the owners,” he stated.
Bassey emphasized that actions taken today to sacrifice these territories are essentially investments in a destructive cycle. He expressed hope that by the end of their investigation, they would resolve to halt the spread and expansion of sacrifice zones in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, Africa, and worldwide.
“That is exactly what happened. Oil companies and Nigerian government agencies have privatised all of our creeks, rivers, streams, coastal areas, and swamps. How has this been accomplished? 66, 68 years of commercial oil extraction in the Niger Delta have resulted in complete pollution of our water bodies, both from oil spills. We are confronted with evidence that the Niger Delta has been privatised and sacrificed. The first piece of evidence that cannot be disputed is the United Nations Environment Programme’s Assessment of a Good Environment, which was released in August 2011. The second documented evidence is the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report, which was published in May of 2023,” he stated.
The environmentalist explained that the report on a good environment revealed contamination of all water bodies in the Niger Delta with hydrocarbons containing high levels of benzene in drinking water. He noted that reports indicate that spilled crude has penetrated five meters deep and is now more than ten meters deep due to ongoing reckless extractive activities.
“The Bayelsa State report was appropriately titled ‘An Environmental Genocide.’ How many of you saw the report? How many people have heard about this report? Can I see your hands up? My goodness! Look at that, only a few people? The Federal Government has not even acknowledged the existence of that report, and the Bayelsa government has not said anything about that report. That report showed that if you are in Bayelsa, you have been contaminated by toxins and heavy metals more than 1,000 times beyond acceptable limits. I mean it’s scandalous. Nowhere in the world has this ever happened, but it has happened here as an example,” he said.
Dr. Charles Oyibo, Head of the Department of Environmental Management, noted that the lecture would help inform students and inspire them in the future. He added that working with HOMEF has given them a new perspective on environmental issues.
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