Niger Delta Stakeholders Demand Immediate Audit of Oil Wells, Petroleum Infrastructure
A broad coalition of stakeholders from the Niger Delta has expressed dissatisfaction over the state of the region’s oil and gas environment, calling for an immediate and transparent audit of all oil wells and petroleum infrastructure across the region.
The stakeholders also stressed the need for a safer environment, urging the urgent decommissioning, remediation, and ecological restoration of abandoned and unsafe oil facilities. They called on state governments to lead accountability efforts, while urging the Federal Government to enforce compliance among oil operators.
The position was contained in a communiqué issued at the Fifth Niger Delta Alternatives Convergence (NDAC), convened by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in Uyo, in collaboration with community leaders, environmental professionals, youth and women groups from the Niger Delta, as well as civil society organisations.
The group further demanded that every abandoned, leaking, and undecommissioned oil well in the Niger Delta should be treated as a crime scene because of the continuous threats posed to lives, livelihoods, ecosystems, and public health.
The conference, themed “Towards Decommissioning and Accountability in the Niger Delta,” featured extensive deliberations on addressing the long-standing ecological, socio-economic, and public health crises caused by decades of oil exploration and environmental degradation in the region.
Participants examined ongoing environmental disasters, including the Ororo-1 oil well in Ondo State, which has reportedly been burning since 2020, and the Alakiri wellhead fire in Rivers State, which has persisted since 2024. They condemned what they described as the failure of both operators and regulators to take responsibility or implement urgent remedial measures.
According to the participants, the incidents reflect the continued failure of oil companies and regulatory agencies to ensure environmental safety and corporate responsibility decades after oil exploration began in the Niger Delta.
Part of the communiqué read:
“While we acknowledge landmark reports including the Wilinks Commission, NDES, UNEP and BSOEC reports, the Convergence insists that the future of the Niger Delta must no longer be defined by exploitation and ecological sacrifice, but by justice, restoration, environmental integrity, and development shaped by the aspirations and rights of the peoples of the region.”
The stakeholders also called for an end to reckless extractive practices and short-term economic interests that continue to undermine environmental sustainability and the livelihoods of communities in the Niger Delta.
About Author
