Niger Delta Communities Renew Calls for Justice Over Environmental Damage
Communities across the Niger Delta have powerfully renewed their demands for justice, environmental remediation, and formal recognition after suffering decades of severe environmental degradation linked to oil and gas exploration. These urgent calls were made during a People’s Tribunal organized by Social Action in Rivers State on 14 November 2025, where affected residents shared heartbreaking testimonies about the destruction of their environment, declining health, and the collapse of their traditional livelihoods.
Emotional Testimonies from the Frontlines
The tribunal heard directly from victims who described years of unrelenting pollution caused by frequent oil spills, continuous gas flaring, and other harmful activities attributed to international oil companies (IOCs). One of the jurors, Barrister Higher King, a prominent human rights advocate and Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Human Rights Committee, strongly condemned the long-term neglect of the region. He used a powerful analogy, stating, “The hen that lays the golden egg does not even have an ordinary egg, not to talk about the golden egg that it is laying,” stressing that both the government and IOCs must be held accountable for the widespread environmental destruction and human rights violations.
Residents from Abalama, Rumuekpe, and surrounding communities in Rivers State gathered in Ahoada-East to detail the devastation in their areas. They appealed for urgent remediation efforts, critical medical support, and proper recognition as the host communities of the nation’s oil wealth. Tamuno Kalada from Abalama reported, “We can hear the sound, the noise, we can also see the spillage in our waterways… the effect of the toxic materials and hydrocarbons from that spillage still remains.”
Worsening Ecosystem and Livelihood Crisis
Similarly, Engineer Vadi Chimakpam, an environmental monitor from Rumuekpe, decried the rapidly worsening state of their ecosystem. “Our soils are devastated, our livelihoods are in bad shape, we don’t have good drinking water… crude oil is lying in our streams and rivers, and they’re not doing anything,” he lamented, highlighting the inaction of responsible parties.
Ikechukwu Jobah, Chairman of the Ogba Egbema Ndoni Hydrocarbon Host Landlords, expressed deep frustration over the lack of recognition and benefits for communities that host major energy infrastructure. “We have the two largest gas plants in Africa, yet we’re nothing before the companies… they are not building us,” he stated, pointing to the stark injustice.
Strong Calls for Accountability and Action
The tribunal concluded with resounding calls for accountability, urging both governments and international oil companies to immediately provide environmental remediation, address long-standing injustices, and uphold the fundamental rights of host communities. It also encouraged affected residents to continue speaking out against environmental abuse and called on the international community to intervene in addressing the ongoing ecological and human rights crisis in the Niger Delta.
