The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on presidential candidates to demonstrate a clear commitment to environmental justice in the Niger Delta. In a communiqué issued after a virtual meeting, PANDEF demanded practical and measurable plans to address decades of pollution, ecological damage, and underdevelopment in the oil-producing region. The meeting, attended by prominent stakeholders, including former governors and ministers, aimed to address the environmental challenges facing the Niger Delta.
PANDEF observed that over six decades of oil and gas exploration have left communities across the Niger Delta grappling with environmental degradation, pollution, and destruction of ecosystems and livelihoods. The forum specifically called for urgent attention to environmental challenges in Nembe Creek, Bayelsa State; Odidi, Delta State; and Kula, Rivers State. These areas have been severely impacted by oil and gas activities, resulting in widespread ecological damage and health hazards.
The forum reaffirmed its commitment to sustained advocacy and engagement with the Federal Government on environmental protection, remediation, and restoration of affected communities. PANDEF also called for adequate, sustained, and transparent funding of the Ogoni cleanup programme. Furthermore, it urged the Federal Government to develop a comprehensive framework for extending similar remediation efforts to other parts of the Niger Delta.
PANDEF commended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to modernize and upgrade ports in Warri, Port Harcourt, and Calabar. The forum also welcomed approvals for proposed deep seaport projects in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa states. These projects, including the Ibom Deep Sea Port, Bonny Deep Sea Port, and Agge Deep Sea Port, are expected to strengthen trade links with East, Central, and Southern Africa.
However, PANDEF urged the Federal Government to establish a sustainable financing framework for the South South port projects. The forum noted that a comparable arrangement had been adopted for major port infrastructure development around the Lagos corridor. A sustainable financing framework would ensure the successful implementation of these projects.
The forum welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to retain the original broad alignment of the 750-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a distinct strategic infrastructure project. PANDEF described the coastal highway as a long-standing project that predates Nigeria’s independence. The forum declared the accelerated and successful completion of the highway non-negotiable.
PANDEF also called for an increase in the derivation fund from the current 13 percent to a minimum of 50 percent, citing environmental and developmental burdens borne by oil-producing communities. The forum argued that the provision had remained unchanged for over two decades, despite the scale of environmental degradation and ecological challenges in oil-producing communities.
Key points
- PANDEF demands practical plans from presidential candidates to address pollution and ecological damage in Niger Delta.
- The forum calls for a sustainable financing framework for South South port projects.
- PANDEF urges an increase in derivation fund to 50 percent to address environmental and developmental burdens.
