Bassey: Bayelsa is Nigeria’s most polluted state
Environmentalist Nnimmo Bassey says Bayelsa is Nigeria’s most polluted state due to oil and gas extraction, citing the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report.
Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), says Bayelsa is the most polluted state in Nigeria, considering the hydrocarbon extraction that involves oil and gas business. Bassey, a renowned environmentalist, stated this during a one-day capacity-sharing programme with the people of Nembe on Thursday in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, Bayelsa is one of the most polluted states in Nigeria and possibly in the world. He said the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report, published in May 2023, recorded a per capita oil pollution level of 1.5 barrels of crude oil. Bassey also cited the environmental assessment of Ogoniland conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as evidence of the devastating impact of oil pollution in the Niger Delta.
He said oil companies had failed to adequately clean up polluted areas, alleging that some companies resorted to superficial measures rather than carrying out proper remediation. Bassey lamented the adverse effects of oil and gas extraction, including massive deforestation and various forms of erosion affecting land and coastlines.
The evidence is damning. Bayelsa’s per capita oil pollution level of 1.5 barrels of crude oil is a staggering figure. The failure of oil companies to clean up polluted areas is a chronic problem. The state is a sacrifice zone for hydrocarbon extraction, and the environmental costs are being borne by the people of Nembe and other communities.
This echoes the 2010s Ogoniland oil pollution revelations, which also exposed the devastating impact of oil extraction. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a region suffering from environmental degradation and a lack of accountability.
The winners: the oil companies, which have avoided accountability; and the Nigerian government, which has failed to enforce environmental regulations. The losers: the people of Bayelsa, who suffer from pollution, and the Nigerian environment, which is being destroyed.
Bottom Line: Bayelsa is Nigeria’s most polluted state. Oil companies have failed to clean up. The question is whether the government will act or the pollution will continue.