Bassey challenges Niger Delta leaders to deliver environmental justice
Renowned environmental activist Dr Nnimmo Bassey has urged leaders in the Niger Delta to prioritise environmental justice, protect community rights and ensure accountability for decades of pollution in the region.
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 for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre-LSD) Leadership School for the
Nathan Tamarapreye
Renowned environmental activist Dr Nnimmo Bassey has urged leaders in the Niger Delta to prioritise environmental justice, protect community rights and ensure accountability for decades of pollution in the region.
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 for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre-LSD) Leadership School for the 2025/2026 session.
He said decades of oil exploration and extraction had polluted waterways, destroyed farmlands, degraded mangrove forests and undermined livelihoods across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the region’s vast natural wealth had failed to translate into dignified living conditions for many of its people.
Bassey described environmental injustice as a problem rooted in power imbalances, weak accountability and flawed development priorities, with host 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.
Citing persistent oil fires at the Ororo-1 oil well in Ondo State, gas eruptions in Bille community, Rivers State, and a crude oil fire at Oil Well 9 in Okrika, Rivers State, Bassey questioned why politicians seeking public office should receive electoral support without making concrete commitments to address such hazards
He said the struggle for environmental justice should not be left to elected officials alone but should also involve community members who defend their water sources, document oil spills and demand investigations.
The environmentalist emphasised the importance of women’s leadership, noting that women often bear a disproportionate share of the burden of environmental destruction while being excluded from decisions concerning land, energy, natural resources and community development.
Bassey, who was awarded the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) for his 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 replicate the environmental destruction associated with oil extraction.
According to him, the transition from fossil fuels to minerals used in green technologies would not deliver justice if communities lost their land and livelihoods without their consent or adequate accountability.
He expressed concern about a reported $700 billion memorandum of agreement between Nigeria and the United States on critical minerals, warning that weak environmental safeguards could expose communities to further exploitation while allowing the benefits of resource extraction to flow outside the country.
Bassey recalled cases of lead poisoning linked to artisanal gold mining in Zamfara State and fatal mining accidents in Plateau State, saying they underscored the need for stronger leadership and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s mineral resources.
The HOMEF executive director also called for greater scrutiny of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), particularly its provisions governing host community development trusts.
He questioned the arrangement under which oil companies appoint members of trust boards and may, in certain circumstances, use community funds to repair damaged infrastructure.
Bassey asked who determined whether damage resulted from third-party actions and why entire communities should bear the consequences of 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 their 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 the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre and the Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development for promoting leadership education.
