From Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
Renowned Environmental activist, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, has urged leaders in the Niger Delta to prioritise environmental justice, community rights and accountability in addressing decades of pollution.
Bassey, Executive Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), made the call in Port Harcourt while delivering a guest lecture at the eighth graduation ceremony and annual leadership lecture of the Kebetkache/Centre-LSD Leadership School for the 2025/2026 session.
He said decades of oil exploration and extraction had polluted waterways, damaged farmlands, degraded mangroves and undermined livelihoods across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the region’s vast natural wealth has not translated into dignified living conditions for many of its people. He described environmental injustice as a problem of power, accountability and development, with communities bearing the consequences of resource extraction.
He urged voters to demand clear environmental protection and remediation plans from presidential and governorship candidates before supporting them.
He cited persistent oil fires at Ororo-1 oil well in Ondo State, gas eruptions in Bille community, Rivers, and a crude oil fire at Oil Well 9 in Okrika, Rivers.
Bassey questioned why politicians seeking public office should receive electoral support without concrete commitments to addressing such environmental hazards. Saying leadership for environmental justice must extend beyond public office to include community members defending their water sources, documenting oil spills and demanding investigations.
The environmentalist stressed the need to recognise women’s leadership, noting that they often bear disproportionate burdens from environmental destruction.
He said women were frequently excluded from decisions concerning land, energy, natural resources and community development.
Bassey who holds a National Honour of Member of the Order of Federal Republic (MFR) for environmental activism urged leadership institutions to promote inclusive decision-making by ensuring that women, young people and marginalised communities influenced policies affecting their lives.
He also warned that Nigeria’s drive to develop critical mineral resources could reproduce the environmental destruction associated with oil extraction.
According to him, shifting from fossil fuels to minerals used in green technologies will not deliver justice if communities lose their lands and livelihoods without consent or accountability.
He expressed concern over the reported 700-billion-dollar memorandum of agreement between Nigeria and the United States on critical minerals.
Bassey warned that weak environmental safeguards could expose communities to further exploitation while allowing extracted resources to serve interests outside the country.
He recalled past incidents of lead poisoning associated with artisanal gold mining in Zamfara and fatal mining accidents in Plateau State.
He said the incidents highlighted the need for stronger leadership and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s mineral resources.
The HOMEF executive director also called for scrutiny of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), particularly provisions governing host community development trusts.
He questioned the arrangement under which oil companies appoint members of trust fund boards and may use community funds to repair damaged infrastructure in certain circumstances.
Bassey asked who determined whether damage resulted from third-party actions and why entire communities should bear consequences for offences allegedly committed by individuals.
He said environmental justice required effective remediation, ecosystem restoration, livelihood recovery and meaningful community participation in decisions affecting their territories.
Bassey urged the graduands to translate their leadership training into action by challenging injustice, demanding accountability and resisting the influence of private interests over public institutions.
He said leadership should be measured by improvements in people’s lives and the condition of communities and ecosystems.
“The Niger Delta does not need leaders who merely manage the consequences of injustice. It needs leaders who will work with communities to dismantle the conditions that produce it,” he said.
Bassey congratulated the graduates and commended Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre and the Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development for promoting leadership education.
