By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Oil-producing host communities in the Niger Delta have called for full ecological restoration of degraded lands and waterways to address the environmental damage and health challenges caused by decades of oil exploration.
The demand was made during a community network and assembly dialogue organised by Oilwatch International in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday
The coordinator of Oilwatch International, Mr. Kentebe Ebiarider, said the gathering marked a shift from documenting pollution to pursuing practical ecological restoration.
Speaking on the theme, “From Environmental Damage to Ecological Restoration: The Role of Host Communities in Reclaiming their Land,” Ebiarider said the focus should move beyond exposing oil spills and gas flaring to restoring ecosystems and rebuilding livelihoods.
He said the dialogue enabled affected communities to identify key environmental challenges and agree on measures to reclaim their environment, adding that the outcomes would strengthen advocacy to government and relevant institutions.
Chief Operating Officer of Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD), Mr. Alagoa Morris, said more than 20 years of community-led monitoring had helped expose pollution incidents and improve public reporting of oil spills.
He urged communities to document spill locations, dates, photographs, videos and Joint Investigation Visit reports to strengthen remediation and restoration claims, stressing that environmental justice includes restoring degraded ecosystems.
Representatives from Bille Kingdom in Rivers State said persistent gas leaks had polluted water sources, worsened air quality and destroyed fishing and farming livelihoods, while delegates from Obelle, Ibaa, Bayelsa and Enugu reported flooding, renewed gas flaring and other environmental concerns.
The participants resolved to strengthen community-based environmental monitoring, improve documentation of pollution incidents, present a charter of demands to government and oil companies, and inaugurated a committee to sustain advocacy for ecological restoration across the Niger Delta.