For over six decades, the Niger Delta has paid the ecological price of Nigeria’s crude oil wealth. Once lush with mangroves and rich aquatic life, the region is now one of the most polluted environments on the planet, thanks to unchecked oil exploration, gas flaring, and systemic neglect by both the state and corporate actors. This is not just an environmental crisis—it is a humanitarian and economic catastrophe.
The “Advocacy for the Clean-Up of the Niger Delta and the Revamp of the Ecosystem” project, led by Centre LSD with support from Global Green Grant, was conceived to confront this long-standing injustice. It builds on the Centre’s decade-long engagement in the Niger Delta through platforms such as the Cordaid 5-year clean-up initiative, now re-energized to amplify pressure, push for systemic change, and ensure the Niger Delta is not forgotten—again.
Project Rationale
While the UNEP Report on Ogoniland catalyzed the creation of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and some symbolic gestures of commitment, true remediation remains slow, opaque, and far from transformative. Oil companies are now divesting, quietly exiting the scene while leaving behind decades of pollution, health hazards, and shattered livelihoods.
Yet, amidst these realities, a window of opportunity has reopened. President Bola Tinubu’s recent public commitment to “heal the wounds of the past” and unlock the Niger Delta’s human and natural potential offers a crucial policy moment. Centre LSD aims to convert this rhetoric into action by galvanizing civil society, media, and local communities under a unified banner: #CleanUpNigerDelta.
Approach and Strategy
The project utilizes a strategic blend of research, advocacy, public mobilization, and digital engagement to press for an accountable and accelerated clean-up agenda. Centre LSD’s six-pronged implementation strategy includes:
1. Advocacy Brief Development & Dissemination
A detailed policy brief outlining remediation priorities, corporate responsibilities, and community demands is being circulated in both digital and print formats to policymakers, civil society organizations, and grassroots leaders.
2. Quarterly Press Briefings
Centre LSD hosts press conferences every quarter to spotlight the status of the clean-up, share evidence-based insights, and publicly challenge inaction from HYPREP, NNPC, and implicated oil companies.
3. Monthly Stakeholder Workshops (Virtual)
These ongoing sessions foster collaboration between community leaders, environmental experts, government actors, and civil society to co-create strategies, discuss policy gaps, and share updates.
4. Social Media Campaigns (#CleanUpNigerDelta)
Infographics, testimonial videos, survivor stories, and campaign hashtags are used to stimulate digital conversations and keep the Niger Delta’s plight in the national consciousness.
5. Petition Writing and Mobilization
Petitions targeting underperforming institutions and actors are drafted, circulated, and backed by thousands of citizen signatures, with the goal of catalyzing real consequences and policy shifts.
6. High-Level Advocacy Visits
Centre LSD is engaging directly with the Ministries of Environment, Petroleum Resources, and the National Assembly to elevate community voices and push for actionable policy timelines and transparent budgetary commitments.
Progress and Early Wins
Although the project is still ongoing, it is already creating waves in public discourse and policy circles:
- Increased Public Pressure: The project’s media engagement has revived national attention on the stalled HYPREP efforts, bringing renewed scrutiny to oil companies attempting to exit the Niger Delta without fulfilling clean-up obligations.
- Community Mobilization: Citizens in oil-impacted communities are now more informed and organized. In Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states, local leaders are actively participating in monthly strategy sessions and advocacy campaigns.
- Reinforced Government Dialogue: Initial advocacy visits have opened up channels of engagement with the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), both of which have acknowledged the need for a review of current clean-up timelines.
Why This Work Is Urgent
The Niger Delta is hemorrhaging, not metaphorically, but literally, oil, toxins, and the potential of millions. The environmental degradation has led to poisoned water, respiratory illnesses, loss of farmlands, and the collapse of local fishing economies. This is not just a tragedy, it is a slow, preventable genocide against ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
As oil companies divest and transition to renewables, they must not be allowed to flee from their responsibilities. Through this project, Centre LSD is making it unequivocally clear: no environmental justice, no peace.
Looking Forward
The path to a clean and restored Niger Delta is long and politically complex. However, this project is laying the groundwork for long-term systems change by:
- Building a nationwide coalition of civil society actors dedicated to environmental justice.
- Preparing a Clean-Up Accountability Tracker to monitor commitments by HYPREP and oil majors.
- Documenting citizen testimonials and legal violations to support future litigation and reparations efforts.
The advocacy continues, and it’s gaining ground. The Niger Delta may have been ignored for decades, but this movement is ensuring it is never silenced again.
