By Abdullahi Lukman
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and former President Goodluck Jonathan have called for stronger environmental justice, increased local content and sustainable reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector as stakeholders reflected on 70 years of oil exploration in the Niger Delta.
They made the call on Monday at the opening of the 2026 Sweet Crude Dialogue, themed “Through the Python’s Eye: 70 Years of Oil and Gas Production in Nigeria,” held at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board Conference Centre in Yenagoa.
Represented by his deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, Diri lamented the environmental devastation caused by decades of oil production in the Niger Delta, describing the findings of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission as disturbing.
He noted that about 13 million barrels of crude oil were spilled in the region between 1958 and 2010, while the commission characterised the damage as “nothing short of environmental genocide.”
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to environmental justice, land and water remediation, livelihood restoration and a just energy transition.
He also urged environmental advocacy groups, including De Mangrove Conversations, to partner with the government in implementing the commission’s recommendations.
Jonathan, who chaired the event, stressed that Nigeria’s oil industry would deliver greater economic benefits if more equipment and services were produced locally. According to him, crude oil exports alone cannot diversify the economy or create enough jobs.
The former president said the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act signed during his administration in 2010, alongside the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, provides a solid framework for improving the sector if fully implemented and strengthened where necessary.
In his keynote address, Professor Ibibia Worika said while oil production had generated enormous revenue for Nigeria over the past seven decades, it had also exposed deep governance challenges and left the Niger Delta with severe environmental and developmental consequences.
He argued that petroleum wealth displaced agriculture, weakened manufacturing and increased dependence on oil revenue, insisting that development should be measured by improvements in people’s welfare and environmental protection rather than revenue generation alone.
The two-day dialogue attracted government officials, industry experts, academics and environmental advocates.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prince Johnson Erijo, delivered a goodwill message, while a panel session featured representatives of the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Pan Niger Delta Forum, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Bayelsa Medical University and Niger Delta University.
The session was moderated by former Director-General of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Franklin Osaisai.
