Urgent Call for Niger Delta Cleanup Beyond Ogoniland

Emem Okon, the Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development Centre, addressed a dinner organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Port Harcourt, emphasizing that the cleanup efforts in the Niger Delta should not be limited to Ogoniland. She warned that confining remediation to Ogoniland would leave significant parts of the oil-bearing region in ecological ruin.

Okon referenced a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which estimates that full restoration of Ogoniland could take 30 years, arguing that communities cannot afford to wait that long for remediation. She urged journalists to intensify scrutiny of environmental legislation, particularly the Petroleum Industry Act, which contains provisions that host communities do not fully understand.

Okon highlighted the severe environmental and health consequences faced by communities due to pollution and called for urgent action to restore livelihoods and control pollution rather than merely focusing on infrastructure.