From Rhoda Godwin
For the people of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria’s oil divestment and energy transition debate is not just about companies, assets and government policies.
It is about the water they drink, the creeks they travel through and the livelihoods that depend on their environment.
As oil companies increasingly transfer onshore assets to domestic operators, residents of oil-producing communities are asking a question that could determine their future:
Who will take responsibility for the environmental damage left behind?
That question will take centre stage in Port Harcourt on September 29 and 30, when Spaces for Change (S4C), in partnership with the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), with support from the Ford Foundation, convenes the fifth National Extractives Dialogue.
The 2026 dialogue is themed, ‘Remediation before divestment and energy transition: Amplifying the Bille environmental crisis.’
More than 150 stakeholders are expected, including government officials, regulators, civil society organisations, host communities, academics and private-sector representatives.
For Bille residents, however, the gathering represents more than another policy conversation.
Reports from affected communities and preliminary field observations indicate persistent environmental concerns, including reported gas leaks affecting waterways, creeks, residential areas and agricultural livelihoods.
While technical investigations are still expected to establish the source and extent of the reported problems, residents are already waiting for answers and immediate relief, including access to clean water.
For a riverine community, polluted or unsafe waterways can mean much more than environmental damage.
It can threaten fishing, farming, transportation and household survival.
This is why the organisers insist that environmental remediation and responsible decommissioning must come before asset transfers and energy-transition plans.
The concern is straightforward: international oil companies should not leave behind unresolved environmental liabilities for communities or new operators to inherit without clear responsibility.
NED2026 will therefore adopt a grassroots approach, allowing Bille and neighbouring riverine communities to engage directly with regulators, industry operators, security agencies and civil society groups.
The goal is not simply to discuss Bille’s environmental crisis but to seek concrete solutions, accountability and coordinated action.
For decades, communities across the Niger Delta have contributed to Nigeria’s economy through oil production.
As the country prepares for a new energy future, residents like those in Bille are asking that they should not be forgotten in the transition.
If the oil companies are leaving, the question remains: will they leave behind a restored environment — or an unpaid environmental bill for the people of Bille?