Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
A group under the aegis of – We, The People – has regretted that over 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled annually in the Niger Delta environment, calling for urgent action to end routine gas flaring in the region.
Executive Director, We The People, Ken Henshaw, made the assertion in his presentation titled “Living in Danger: Health Harms of Fossil Fuel Extraction in Nigeria’s Niger Delta”, in commemoration of World Environment Day 2026, at the weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Henshaw said the Nigerian government must address the devastating health, environmental, and social consequences that decades of fossil fuel extraction have imposed on frontline communities to save more lives.
The programme highlighted the health and ecological threats posed by gas flaring in the Niger Delta, and demanded immediate government action.
Henshaw stressed that for decades, communities across the Niger Delta have lived in the shadow of gas flare stacks, stressing that “Day and night, flames have burned beside homes, schools, farms, rivers, and fishing settlements, releasing methane, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and other pollutants into the atmosphere”.
He said “over 240,000 barrels of crude oil (over 38 million liters) are spilled in the Niger Delta annually. Some of the communities visited traced their illnesses in the area to the oil spill. Presently, there is over 178 active gas flare points all over the region”.
According to Henshaw, “Niger Delta remains one of the most resource-rich regions in the world. Yet it has also become one of the regions most burdened by the environmental and social costs of hydrocarbon extraction.
“Oil and gas production have generated enormous wealth for governments and corporations, while many communities closest to extraction sites continue to experience environmental degradation, poor health outcomes, declining livelihoods, and inadequate public services.
“Today, the people suffers respiratory illnesses, skin conditions, eye problems, declining agricultural productivity, acid rain, contaminated water sources, and the destruction of local ecosystems.
“Farmers speak of reduced crop yields. Fisherfolk describe disappearing fish stocks and polluted waterways. Families recount generations growing up under the glow and noise of flare stacks that never seem to stop burning”.
He said, “Gas flaring releases greenhouse gases contribute to global climate change. Methane, one of the principal components of natural gas, is a particularly potent greenhouse gas, making the reduction of methane emissions a critical global climate priority.
“Communities bear the immediate burden of pollution, while the resulting emissions contribute to a planetary climate emergency already affecting vulnerable populations around the world. Recent developments in Nigeria’s oil sector have heightened concerns among affected communities.
“The divestment of onshore oil assets by several multinational oil companies has raised important questions about accountability for decades of environmental damage.”
The group stressed that a sustainable future requires more than commitments and declarations, but “meaningful action to address existing injustices, protect vulnerable populations, remediate damaged ecosystems, and ensure that affected communities have a meaningful voice in decisions concerning their lands, resources, and futures”.
The group therefore demanded for “An immediate end to routine gas flaring by all operators in the Niger Delta, without further delays or regulatory exemptions. Full environmental and health remediation of flare-impacted communities funded by responsible operators, past and present.
“Transparent and publicly accessible gas flaring data, disaggregated by operator, location, and volume. Meaningful community participation through the free, prior, and informed consent of affected communities in decisions concerning environmental and natural resource governance, and accountability for any post-divestment increases in gas flaring, supported by effective monitoring and enforceable sanctions for non-compliance.”
During a community panel at the event, members of gas flare-impacted communities spoke on health, livelihood, and ecological devastation of flaring in their communities, Mrs. Precious Ibegwura, a native of Egi in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, recounted how gas flaring has devastated her environment.
She said “What we see every day is hunger, poverty, pains, illnesses because of pollution in our land and waters. The situation has led to increased crime rate, miscarriages; our community has turned upside-down. Oil production has caused more damage than blessings to us”.
