By Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt
A traditional ruler in Rivers State has decried the scale of environmental degradation in the Niger Delta communities, blaming decades of neglect, illegal oil activities, and the involvement of influential sponsors of pipeline vandalism.
King Felix Otuwarikpo of Upata Kingdom spoke in Port Harcourt on Thursday at the opening of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council’s Correspondents’ Week. The event was themed, ‘The imperatives of comprehensive cleanup of the Niger Delta environment: Role of the media’.
Otuwarikpo said pollution and ecosystem destruction had made farming and fishing largely unviable in many communities.
He noted that declining fish stocks had forced residents to buy frozen fish instead of fresh catches, while crop yields had fallen due to contaminated soil.
“Our fishermen are no longer fishing the way they used to. For many years now, my people have started buying frozen fish to eat, which is abnormal,” he said.
The monarch argued that the environmental crisis receives little media attention because its worst effects are felt outside elite urban areas.
“Most of the consequences we suffer at the community level do not happen in the government reservation areas (GRAs). If these environmental problems were happening in the GRAs, they would probably receive greater attention,” he said.
Otuwarikpo challenged the view that poverty and illiteracy alone drive pipeline vandalism, alleging that powerful individuals fund many illegal oil bunkering operations. He said such activities require financial backing beyond what ordinary youths can provide.
He recalled leading anti-bunkering actions in Upata Kingdom, Ahoada East Local Government Area, during which vehicles and tankers used for crude oil theft were destroyed. The monarch said the operations attracted petitions to security agencies but he stood firm to protect his people and environment.
“Several petitions were written against me to the police and military authorities, but I was installed to protect Upata Kingdom and I stood firmly in defense of my people and environment,” he said.
Otuwarikpo urged journalists to hold leaders accountable and report more consistently on environmental and governance failures in the Niger Delta ahead of the 2027 elections.
“If journalism fails, this country has failed. Journalists must not just watch and sleep. The watchdog of society must be ready to bark and bite when necessary,” he said.
He also criticised pressure on traditional rulers to remain silent, insisting that community leaders must speak out on issues affecting their people.
“As traditional rulers, we are sometimes told to remain silent, but if I sit quietly on the throne while society decays, then my education and exposure amount to nothing,” he said.