A renowned environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey, has decried the severe state of pollution in the Niger Delta, calling for urgent action to address the menace and build a resilient future.

Mr Bassey, speaking on Wednesday at the Niger Delta Climate Conference in Port Harcourt, said, “The Niger Delta is a deeply polluted environment, a deeply degraded territory, and one of the worst polluted places on the planet.”

According to him, research has confirmed this sad reality.

The activist noted that the Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland, issued by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2021, has clearly shown the pollution of Ogoni in the land, water, and air.

“In some places, hydrocarbons have penetrated the soil up to five metres. By the time the cleanup started, pollution had sunk as deep as 10 meters,” Mr Bassey said.

He recalled that in 2023, the Bayesian State Oil and Environment Commission issued a report, ‘An Environmental Genocide: Counting the Human and Environmental Cost of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria’.

According to him, Bayelsa has lost 40 per cent of its mangrove forests, and there are 1.5 barrels of crude oil spilt per capita. He explained that approximately 14 million cubic meters of natural gas are flared daily at 17 facilities in Bayelsa alone.

This, he said, released toxic elements into the air and caused cancers, breathing illnesses and acid rain. He further noted that oil-related contaminants, such as chromium, are present in groundwater at a level 1,000 times beyond the World Health Organisation limit.

“We are considering building a resilient future by integrating climate action and community empowerment. Now, what are the key climate actions that are being taken globally today? One is adaptation, and the second is mitigation.

“Simply put, adaptation means adapting to changing situations, making accommodation with what is coming at you,” he said.

(NAN)