Education
Bassey urges Nigerians to reject politicians without environmental restoration plans – EnviroNews
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The Executive Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has urged Nigerians to reject presidential and governorship candidates who fail to present concrete plans for environmental remediation and restoration, particularly in the oil-polluted Niger Delta.
Bassey made the call on Saturday, October 17, 2026, during the 8th Graduation Ceremony and Annual Leadership Lecture of the Kebetkache/Centre-LSD Leadership School in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Speaking on the theme, “Leadership for Environmental Justice in the Niger Delta,” the environmental activist called for accountable leadership that prioritises the protection of communities, the restoration of damaged ecosystems and the rights of people affected by environmental pollution.
He said the Niger Delta, despite its immense ecological and cultural wealth, continued to suffer the consequences of decades of oil exploration and extraction, including polluted waterways, degraded farmlands, declining fisheries, gas flaring and loss of livelihoods.
According to him, the wealth extracted from the region has not translated into a life of dignity for many residents, making environmental degradation not merely an ecological problem but also an issue of justice, power, accountability and development.
Bassey cited estimates of between 240,000 and 260,000 barrels of crude oil spilled annually into the Niger Delta environment, alongside decades of routine gas flaring, as evidence of the urgent need for decisive environmental leadership.
He challenged voters to scrutinise the environmental commitments of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Any candidate that does not have concrete plans for the remediation, and restoration of the deeply damaged environment should not be given a single vote by the electorate,” he said.
Bassey questioned why politicians who had failed to address persistent environmental emergencies should continue to enjoy electoral support.
He specifically cited the prolonged fire at the Ororo-1 oil well off the coast of Awoye community in Ondo State, gas eruptions in Bille community in Rivers State, and an uncontrolled crude oil fire on the water surface at Oil Well 9, OML 18, in the Ofiomina-Ama Alakiri community of Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers State.
He argued that leadership must be assessed by its willingness to confront environmental destruction and ensure that affected communities receive justice.
Leadership Must Go Beyond Political Positions
The HOMEF executive director maintained that leadership was not limited to elected officials or people occupying influential positions, noting that ordinary citizens also demonstrate leadership by defending their communities and challenging environmental abuses.
He identified women organising to protect their water sources, young people documenting oil spills, fishermen demanding investigations into polluted waterways and community members resisting environmental destruction as examples of leadership in action.
According to him, effective leadership must listen to communities and recognise their knowledge, experiences and right to determine the future of their territories.
Bassey particularly highlighted the disproportionate burden environmental degradation places on women, who often bear responsibility for farming, fishing, water collection, food preparation and family care.
He called on leadership institutions to challenge exclusion and ensure that women, young people and marginalised communities participate meaningfully in decisions concerning land, energy, natural resources and development.
Bassey Raises Concerns Over Critical Minerals
The environmental activist also warned that Nigeria’s growing interest in critical minerals for the global energy transition could reproduce the environmental injustices associated with the country’s oil industry.
He cautioned that shifting from fossil fuels to minerals used in green technologies would not automatically deliver environmental justice if communities continued to lose their lands, water resources and livelihoods without meaningful consent, adequate protection or accountability.
Bassey recalled the deaths of hundreds of children from lead poisoning associated with artisanal gold mining in Zamfara State in 2010, as well as fatal mine collapses in Plateau State.
He also referred to the reported deaths of 36 of the 37 teenagers arrested over alleged involvement in illegal mining in Niger State, describing the incidents as evidence of wider leadership failures.
He expressed concern that Nigeria’s pursuit of critical mineral resources could intensify exploitation if environmental safeguards and community rights were not prioritised.
Bassey further warned that the recently announced $700 billion memorandum of agreement between Nigeria and the United States concerning the country’s critical mineral resources should raise questions about the protection of communities and national interests.
He argued that the central questions surrounding the energy transition should include whose interests energy systems serve, who controls them and who bears the environmental and social costs.
According to him, environmental justice leadership must defend community rights, demand accountability from governments and corporations, and promote alternatives based on ecological integrity, democratic participation and collective wellbeing.
Questions Over Petroleum Industry Act
Bassey also called for closer scrutiny of the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), particularly its provisions for host community development.
He questioned the allocation of three per cent of oil companies’ operating expenditure for host community development, arguing that the arrangement raises concerns because oil companies appoint executive members of the host community development trust boards.
He further criticised provisions allowing trust funds to be used to repair oil company infrastructure damaged by third parties, questioning how responsibility for such damage is determined and whether entire communities could be unfairly penalised for the actions of individuals.
He insisted that policies should be judged by their actual effects on people’s lives and the environment rather than by their stated intentions.
Bassey added that environmental remediation should go beyond contracts and technical reports to include the restoration of damaged ecosystems, rebuilding of livelihoods and meaningful community participation in decisions affecting residents.
Call for Responsible Leadership
Addressing the graduands, Bassey urged them to use their leadership training to confront injustice, resist the influence of private interests over public institutions and translate principles into practical action.
He said development should not be measured solely by infrastructure, revenue generation or economic growth but also by whether communities have access to clean air, safe drinking water, adequate food and protection from environmental destruction.
He maintained that justice was a right that governments and institutions must respect and defend, rather than a favour granted to communities by those in power.
“The Niger Delta does not need leaders who merely manage the consequences of injustice. It needs leaders who will work with communities to dismantle the conditions that produce it,” he said.
Bassey urged the graduands to carry their knowledge into decision-making spaces and the communities affected by those decisions, stressing that leadership should be measured by the injustices challenged, communities strengthened and improvements made to people’s lives and the environment.
He congratulated the graduands and commended the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre and the Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development for promoting leadership education focused on social responsibility and environmental justice.
