It is no a longer secret that Nigeria’s Niger Delta is most researched region in Nigeria which has also earned notoriety as global Headquarters of Oil Industry Induced Pollution; promoted by regulatory capture, impunity of operators, government being more interested in petrodollars then environmental safety, oil politics and endemic corruption. 

The much talked about environmental degradation is traceable to incessant oil spills, the well known 24/7 gas flaring, gas leaks and blowouts, unregulated discharge of drilling fluids and produce water into the environment. All of these sources of pollution in the Niger Delta are inimical to the environment. 

Long before the advent of Bush Refineries in parts of the Niger Delta (also known as local refineries and Kpofire) around 2010, these different sources of oil industry related pollution have been going on for decades. And, instead of anything near swift responses from facility owners and proper cleanups; the operators resorted to delayed responses, setting spill impacted sites ablaze, scooping spelled crude oil and burying within the same environment or not doing anything about the impacted sites. It was as bad as that. 

One fine example to buttress this impunity by Shell in the Ikarama community environment (in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa State) was the observation by community folks that until the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) started visiting the spill sites in the community, documenting, making the incidents public and advocating for the proper things to be done; Shell never acted as if there was any need to cleanup any spill impacted sites in the community environment. And, while the activities of environmental safety advocacy groups have succeeded in jolting the oil companies to the disposition of “improperly done cleanups”, the impunity with which the International Oil Companies like Shell and Agip went about setting spill impacted sites ablaze has been well documented as one of the negative traditions of the oil industry which even the regulators are yet to frown at. 

Sadly, with the recent Unwholesome divestment by Shell and Agip; traces of that ugly tradition came to the fore when Oando’s spill site at Ogboinbiri went up in flames late last year, 2024. Also, the security agencies, especially the JTF has long taken over and continued the practice as they set ablaze vessels, boats, and trucks suspected to be conveying illegally obtained crude oil or products from Bush Refineries. This is besides occasional burning of kpofire camps and bursting containers and bags of crude oil and products wherever there are found and hence flooding swamps, Creeks and farmlands with crude oil products. Not only that, the atmospheric pollution occasioned by the burning all go a long way to increase related hydrocarbon pollution of the Niger Delta environment. Incidentally, the same negative tradition of burning and causing more spill in the environment has been observed being perpetrated by some of the private surveillance contractors engaged by the NNPC.

 Yes, the Niger Delta has been a crime scene of ecocide perpetrated by different stakeholders; especially oil industry operators and government agencies. Owing to serious advocacy and outcry against the continued and intentional acts of pollution and further degradation of the Niger Delta environment; the Federal Government decided to deal with the situation as it relates to Bush refinery related pollution occasioned by agents of government. 

And so, on Thursday September 23rd, 2021 an Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Recovery of Illegally Refined Petroleum Products (Crude oil) in the Dug-Up Pits found around the Creeks of the Niger Delta was inaugurated in Abuja. It was reported that the Federal Government in collaboration with all stakeholders have put in place a mechanism for effective and efficient management of illegally refined products recovered from Dug-up pits found around the Creeks of the Niger Delta. 

The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, who inaugurated the Committee was quoted as saying (during the inauguration) ”  The exercise is in line with the policy of the current administration on Security and economy as well as preservation on the environment from negative hazards”. Members of this very important Committee includes the military, Ministry of Environment ,Ministry of Justice, NOSDRA, etc). 

Most unfortunately, as has been the case with most other laudable initiatives; practically nothing has been seen in action by the Inter-Ministerial Committee almost  five years after. It has gone into the sphere of voicemail. This aligns with what some refers to as No Action Talk Only (NATO) and hence, the crimes against the environment continue; the ecocide. The equipment failure related oil spill incidents have continued. 

The spill of 3rd May, 2025 from Oando facility at Ogboinbiri community environment (Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state) only added up to make FOUR of such incidents within the same environment between September, 2024 and 3rd May, 2025. All were officially attributed to equipment failure. On 7th of May, 2025 another equipment failure incident occurred at B-Dere in Gokana local government area of Rivers State (Ogoniland). 

The burden of oil bearing includes the fact that it has become a curse and deprivation, sickness, frustration, violence and death. It is only proper and just that the Federal Government initiate steps to address the lingering issue of environmental justice in the Niger Delta. 

Several scientific efforts to investigate the oil industry induced pollution have been carried out, including the UNEP Report on Ogoni and the most recent Bayelsa Oil and Environment Commission Report. The Presidency has all these reports, even as the Governor of Bayelsa State, Sen.Douye Diri personally led a delegation to submit copy of the Report to Mr. President last year, 2024. It is important to add that whatever should be done, NOW is the TIME. Address the lingering issues of ecocide and related 

Environmental Justice to the people of the Niger Delta. Cleanup the entire polluted sites, follow up with remediation and adequate compensation. There is need to restore the damaged Niger Delta Environment in the interest of the livelihood, health and happiness of the peoples of the Niger Delta.