By Clarice Azuatalam, Port Harcourt
Renowned environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey, has sounded the alarm on the devastating state of the Niger Delta, calling for urgent environmental and health audits to address the region’s ecological disaster. Speaking at the Nigerian Union of Journalists’ Correspondents’ Week in Port Harcourt, Bassey highlighted the colonial roots of the crisis, tracing oil exploitation back to 1937 under Shell D’Arcy.
He cited alarming stats, including 260,000 barrels of crude oil spilled annually, and pointed fingers at oil companies for abandoning infrastructure and shifting blame to local communities. Bassey urged journalists to investigate incidents independently.
”The media has the duty… to report the ecocide happening in the Niger Delta factually and in real time,” he said.
He backed calls for environmental emergency declaration, decommissioning abandoned facilities, and reparations to affected communities. Bassey praised the NUJ for championing the cleanup campaign, stressing that silence would betray future generations.