The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an urgent and comprehensive environmental audit of Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, accelerated remediation of degraded areas and greater community participation in decisions affecting the environment.
The call followed a community capacity-sharing dialogue organised by HOMEF under its Justice Through Communities-Centred Policy Advocacy Project, which brought together traditional rulers, women, youths, farmers, fishers, local government officials and other stakeholders.
Participants at the dialogue raised concerns over declining fish stocks, the disappearance of some aquatic species, deteriorating water quality and changes in traditional patterns of natural-resource use.
They attributed the challenges largely to oil exploration, pollution and other extractive activities, while expressing concern over what they described as inadequate environmental monitoring and enforcement.
HOMEF Executive Director, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, said the reported environmental changes posed threats that extended beyond ecological degradation, affecting livelihoods, food security, public health and cultural heritage in communities heavily dependent on fishing, farming and other natural resources.
“Communities cannot continue to bear the environmental and economic costs of extraction while being treated as spectators in decisions about their own environment,” Bassey said.
HOMEF called for a transparent and independent assessment of Nembe’s water, soil and air quality, including comprehensive testing for heavy metals and other contaminants.
The organisation also demanded sustained monitoring of fish and other aquatic organisms, as well as regular food-safety and environmental-health assessments to determine the extent to which pollutants may be moving through the food chain.
Health concerns also featured prominently during the dialogue, with participants expressing concern over the possible effects of environmental pollution on women, children, newborns and future generations, including potential reproductive-health risks.
The Director of Primary Health Care in Nembe Local Government Area, Chief Jude Pulemote, linked oil exploration activities to some of the health and livelihood challenges confronting rural communities, citing concerns over anaemia among pregnant women and disruptions to traditional means of livelihood.
HOMEF consequently urged relevant authorities to integrate environmental monitoring with targeted public-health interventions, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Communities Seek Greater Role in JIVs
The organisation also criticised what participants described as inadequate community involvement in environmental assessments and Joint Investigation Visits (JIVs).
HOMEF argued that affected communities should participate throughout the entire process, including evidence gathering, environmental assessments, JIVs, decision-making, remediation monitoring and the evaluation of clean-up activities.
“Consultation is not participation,” the organisation said, stressing that meaningful engagement requires communities to have a genuine voice in determining what is investigated and in monitoring whether remediation efforts have effectively restored damaged ecosystems.
Participants also called for indigenous and traditional knowledge to be recognised alongside scientific evidence in environmental governance, noting that traditional systems had historically played important roles in regulating the use of forests, rivers, fishing grounds and other natural resources.
HOMEF Seeks Action Beyond Environmental Reports
HOMEF said the concerns raised in Nembe should be considered against existing evidence of widespread environmental degradation across the Niger Delta.
The organisation cited the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland, the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) report and the Niger Delta women’s health audit report by the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre.
It said the findings of the reports had also been documented in its Disasters Foretold and Retold publication.
According to HOMEF, the Niger Delta does not need another cycle of environmental assessments without corresponding action, insisting that existing evidence must translate into remediation, ecological restoration, accountability and the protection of livelihoods.
The organisation therefore urged the Federal and Bayelsa State Governments, environmental regulatory agencies and oil companies operating in the region to undertake transparent and independent environmental and health assessments in Nembe.
It also called for meaningful community participation in JIVs, environmental assessments, remediation programmes and post-clean-up monitoring.
Other demands include stronger enforcement of environmental laws, greater accountability for polluters and the implementation of relevant recommendations of the BSOEC, including proposals for an environmental recovery fund and a dedicated environmental recovery agency.
HOMEF further called for the decommissioning of abandoned oil wells and the accelerated remediation and ecological restoration of degraded communities.
The organisation also demanded measures to protect and restore fishing, farming and other livelihoods, appropriate compensation and livelihood-recovery mechanisms, strengthened environmental-health monitoring and targeted public-health interventions.
It added that indigenous and community knowledge must be accorded greater recognition in environmental governance and decision-making.
“The people of Nembe and the Niger Delta at large are not asking to be heard after decisions have been made. They are demanding the right to participate in decisions that determine the health of their environment, their livelihoods and the future of generations to come,” HOMEF said.
