Environmentalist Blames Nigerian Government, IOCs for Reckless Pollution in Niger Delta

Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has attributed the poor state of the environment to International Oil Companies (IOCs).

Bassey, a well-known environmentalist and Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), has described the Niger Delta region as a privatised and sacrifice zone.

The environmental activist made the statement on Friday at Niger Delta University, during a two-day discussion titled “School of Ecology Recovering Oil Sacrifice Zone.”

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 said.

He stated that every action taken today to sacrifice the territories is an investment in reinventing an involvement that is eating them up.

Bassey stated that he expects that by the end of the investigation, they will all have resolved to halt the spread and expansion of sacrifice zones in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, Africa, and around the world.

“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 Programmes 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 stated that the report on a good environment revealed that all of the water bodies in that environment had been contaminated with hydrocarbons containing high levels of benzene in drinking water.

He explained that reports indicate that the spilt crude has penetrated five meters and is now more than ten meters deep as reckless extractive activities continue unabated.

He stated that regardless of whether a new oil spill occurs, the sacrifice continues.

According to him, 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?
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“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 tomes beyond acceptable limits.

“I mean it’s scandalous no where in the world has this ever happened but it has happened here as an example,” he said.

On his part Dr Charles Oyibo, Head of Department Environmental Management, said that the lecture will help the students to be better informed and to push them in the nearest future.

He stated that working with HOMEF has given them a new perspective on environmental issues.