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 reported declining fish stocks, the disappearance of some aquatic species, concerns over water quality and changes in traditional patterns of natural-resource use. They attributed the challenges largely to oil exploitation, pollution and other extractive activities, while expressing concern over inadequate environmental monitoring and enforcement.
HOMEF Executive Director, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, said the reported environmental changes posed serious threats beyond ecological degradation, particularly to livelihoods, food security, public health and cultural heritage in a community 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, as well as comprehensive testing for heavy metals and other contaminants. It also demanded monitoring of fish and other aquatic organisms and regular food-safety and environmental-health assessments to determine how pollutants may be moving through the food chain.
Health concerns were also prominent during the dialogue, with participants raising concerns about the possible effects of environmental pollution on women, children, newborns and future generations, including reproductive-health risks.
The Director of Primary Health Care, Nembe LGA, Chief Jude Pulemote, linked oil exploration activities to health and livelihood challenges confronting rural residents, specifically citing concerns over anaemia among pregnant women and disruptions to livelihoods.
HOMEF consequently urged authorities to link environmental monitoring with targeted public-health interventions, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Communities demand greater role in JIVs
The organisation also criticised what participants described as inadequate community involvement in environmental assessments and Joint Investigation Visits (JIVs).
According to HOMEF, affected communities should participate throughout the process, including evidence gathering, environmental assessments, JIVs, decision-making, remediation monitoring and evaluation of clean-up activities.
“Consultation is not participation,” the organisation said, stressing that meaningful participation requires communities to have a voice in determining what is investigated and monitoring whether remediation has actually restored their environment.
Participants further called for indigenous and traditional knowledge to be recognised alongside scientific evidence in environmental governance, arguing that traditional systems historically helped regulate 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 viewed against existing evidence of environmental degradation across the Niger Delta, including 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.
The reports, HOMEF noted, have been documented in its Disasters Foretold and Retold publication.
The organisation argued that the Niger Delta does not need another cycle of environmental assessments without corresponding action, insisting that existing evidence should result in remediation, ecological restoration, accountability and protection of livelihoods.
HOMEF therefore urged the Bayelsa and Federal Governments, regulatory agencies and oil companies operating in the region to conduct transparent and independent environmental and health assessments in Nembe and guarantee meaningful community participation in JIVs, environmental assessments, remediation and monitoring.
It also called for stronger enforcement of environmental laws and accountability for polluters, implementation of relevant BSOEC recommendations, including the proposed environmental recovery fund and agency, decommissioning of abandoned oil wells and accelerated remediation and ecological restoration of degraded areas.
The organisation further demanded measures to protect and restore fishing, farming and other livelihoods, appropriate compensation and livelihood-recovery mechanisms, stronger environmental-health monitoring and public-health interventions, as well as greater recognition of indigenous and community knowledge in environmental governance.
“The people of Nembe and 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.
