News
Bayelsa Demands US$12 billion from IOCs for Environmental and Health Damages through Oil Exploration
Bayelsa Demands US$12 billion from IOCs for Environmental and Health Damages through Oil Exploration
By: Michael Mike
Bayelsa State Governor,Duoye Diri has demanded from international oil companies (IOCs) US$12 billion over the course of 12 years for the repair, remediation and restoration of the environment and public health damage caused by oil and gas exploration and to lay the foundations for Bayelsa’s just transition towards renewable energy and opportunities for alternative livelihoods.
The governor made the demand on Wednesday in Abuja at the International Oil Pollution and Just Transition Conference.
He lamented that: “Not too many decades ago, we could cast nets into abundant waters, reaping enough catch to nourish entire families. However, the oil boom has brought doom. Our lifeblood – our rivers – now flow with toxic oil residue instead of vibrant life.
“We are a people of the river and the land; fishing and farming were once our essence. These vocations, passed down through generations, taught us patience, respect for nature, and the value of hard work. But the unchecked activities of International Oil Companies (IOCs) have turned the prolific rivers and fertile soil of Bayelsa into a wasteland.”
He equally decried that: “Our breadwinners, robbed of their ancestral legacy, toil on unforgiving, polluted land and fish in toxic waters, only to return with empty nets. Their families face crippling hunger and suffocating despair.”
The governor, who revealed that he just received a report from the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission, titled “An Environmental Genocide: Counting the Human and Environmental Costs of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria,” said: “One study estimates that in 2012 alone, oil spills in Nigeria, and predominantly in the Niger Delta resulted in over 16,000 additional neonatal deaths.”
He stated that: “Indeed, Oil pollution and relentless gas flaring have engendered a grim tapestry of alien health conditions in Bayelsa; children are being born with severe deformities, respiratory diseases flourish, stubbornly defying even the most advanced medical interventions and therapies. Cancers, once a rarity have surged in prevalence, infiltrating the villages like a spectre that haunts the very fabric of daily life.
“The environment itself has become a crucible of suffering. The air hangs thick with toxins, while the water, once a source of life, now flows with pollutants that carry the weight of despair. This unrelenting barrage of environmental degradation has transformed Bayelsa into an epicentre of health crises, forging a reality where illness and suffering have become the norm rather than the exception.”
Diri said the report notes that as a direct consequence, “Life expectancy in Bayelsa has plummeted to just 50 years” sinking well below levels deemed acceptable by global standards, adding that: “Despite these burdens, we continue to demonstrate an indomitable spirit, navigating daily struggles with a painful resilience that belies our longing for a healthier and more hopeful future.
He noted that: “This Report therefore, has not only captured our plight, but it has also amplified our voice; a voice that has cried out for decades, unheard. For too long, we’ve pleaded for mercy, only to be met with indifference. Our children’s futures, our heritage, and our very existence hang in the balance. And today, I bring that voice before you.”
The governor said: “Let me echo a resounding call of the Commission to the IOCs that: “concerted international action to generate and invest at least US $12 billion over the course of 12 years to repair, remediate and restore the environmental and public health damage caused by oil and gas and to lay the foundations for Bayelsa’s just transition towards renewable energy and opportunities for alternative livelihoods, adding that: “This I believe is not limited to Bayelsa State alone, therefore, I call on my brother Governors from the oil producing states to join hands with us in this battle for environmental justice.”
In his welcome address , the Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, said the conference comes at a pivotal moment in the socioecological history of Nigeria, noting that: “Extractivism and accompanied pollution has wreaked extensive damage in the physical, socioeconomic and cultural spheres of our national life. They have worked together to build a warped future, which must be deconstructed, and reconstructed.”
He revealed that: “The report highlighted the incredible extent of petroleum pollution in Bayelsa State and has given us a vivid picture of the extreme damage that almost seven decades of crude oil exploitation has done to the entire Niger Delta region particularly with regard to both environmental and human health. It is pure environmental genocide and there is no way to sugarcoat its horrors.”
He noted that: “The report is riddled with facts that are almost unimaginable. For example it tells us that there is a 1.5 barrels per capita crude oil pollution of Bayelsa State. It affirms an atrocious level of harm visited on the state including that there is the total hydrocarbons pollution of the water in the state at 1 million times above safe or acceptable standards. One million times above safe standards.
“We note that the pollution is from both old and active wells, flow stations and pipelines. Indeed, abandoned and decrepit oil infrastructure continue to pose extreme menace to the environment and the people of the State. Some communities have been ripped apart by canalization; while others face the threat of being washed into the ocean by combined forces of subsidence, sea level rise and coastal erosion.
“Our water channels are blatantly and recklessly used as waste dumps for produced water and sundry harmful wastesin disregard to ecological and human safety. Our lands and water bodies are privatized and damaged, through acts of egregious industrial vandalism and systemic environmental racism, emanating from the worst forms of colonial resource extraction and land grabbing.”
Bayelsa Demands US$12 billion from IOCs for Environmental and Health Damages through Oil Exploration
FG unveils 39 inmate transport vehicles, armoured booths for prison security
By: Our Reporter
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, has inaugurated 39 mini-green Maria vehicles to ensure the safe transportation of inmates to courts during trials.
In a statement on X, the ministry said the commissioning took place at the headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
The minister also unveiled four armoured security guard booths to protect correctional facilities from external aggression by non-state actors.
“The Hon. Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, today inaugurated four armored security guard booths at the Nigerian Correctional Service headquarters to enhance the defense of correctional facilities against external threats,” the statement reads.
“He also unveiled 39 mini-green Maria vehicles designed to ensure the secure transportation of inmates to court during trials. These efforts reflect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s dedication to the safety and welfare of officers and inmates.
FG unveils 39 inmate transport vehicles, armoured booths for prison security
Damaturu Flyover: The Making of A Befitting State Capital
By: Mamman Mohammed
Since the news about the signing of the Damaturu fly over contract filtered the air, it attracted accolades in many quarters and of course, reservations in some quarters. This is very normal and usual with every human endeavour.
It is pertinent to note that His Excellency the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON, COMN, while presenting the 2025 budget to the state House of Assembly, emphatically said “The widespread of road projects is intended to give a facelift and accessibility to our communities. Government is committed to the completion of the seventeen ongoing road projects, and to embark on eleven new ones. The completion of the township roads and drainages in five Local Government Areas is very dear to the government. I am also pleased to inform you that work would soon commence for the construction of the Damaturu flyover. We would also commence work on the Damaturu Green Economic City”.
Similarly, the budget allocated funds to other sectors to run simultaneously to improve the lives of the people without obstructing the execution of other projects and programmes in other sectors.
Importantly, the budget went through open process of careful and critical scrutiny, with Civil Society Organizations, individuals and groups in attendance.
Throughout the public sitting, none of the interest groups and individuals identified any project including the Damaturu flyover road as a misplacement of priority that would be at the expense of another, and as they may say, it is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
There is no doubt that the Damaturu flyover project will not only check the numerous congestion and accidents in the metropolis but, also beautify Damaturu, from a glorified local government headquarters to a beffiting state capital that is comparable to its peers, and a pride of every Yobean.
This takes us to the Muhammadu Buhari lnternational Cargo Airport as a reference point. When Gov. Buni took over the leadership of the state in 2019, there was an argument for and against the completion of the airport.
Many people described it as a wasteful project while others urged the new administration to ensure its completion. And when Gov. Buni finally announced the completion of the airport which was still at skeletal stage, it put such arguments to halt.
Gov. Buni’s argument was that, abandoning the project at that level would be a monumental loss to the state that would only attract untold inflation whenever any administration decides to complete the airport. Thanks to the wise decision, and the deep futuristic thinking by Governor Buni.
Today, the argument over the completion of the airport is now history. It is
completed and commissioned. It remains
one of the iconic legacy projects, with a very prosperous future to the state.
Already, some international investors have indicated interest in direct and indirect investments in the state. The Qatari business community and most recently, the Moroccan Investment, lmport and Export Development Agency, said the airport is a window to a fruitful economic partnership that would generate employment and wealth creation.
The same criticisms greeted the Kano, Maiduguri, Yola, Kaduna and Jalingo flyovers.
Surprisingly, some characters who lauded the flyovers elsewhere have suddenly changed their positions with the Damaturu flyover.
As a known fact, there may be no single government project or programme that would generate100% support from the public, as everyone may have his opinion for or against such project.
We should always see such projects positively and support government in its development strides to make Damaturu a state capital that is in tune with the changing times.
Damaturu Flyover: The Making of A Befitting State Capital
Kidnapped Munya LGA Secretary Regains Freedom as Security Forces Intensify Rescue Efforts
By: Zagazola Makama
The Niger State Police Command has confirmed the release of Usman Daina, the Secretary of Munya Local Government Council, who was abducted by armed bandits.
Daina was freed unhurt following a sustained pursuit operation by security forces. However, authorities have stated that efforts are still ongoing to rescue other victims who remain in captivity and to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators.
Zagazola Makama had reported that On Feb. 21, 2025, heavily armed bandits launched an attack on Munya Local Government Area, abducting several residents, including the council secretary.
It was gathered that that the assailants moved from Chibani forest through the Shakwata axis before striking various communities, including the Dandaudu area of Munya LGA.
The attackers invaded homes, looted food supplies, and forcefully took away multiple victims.
Following the abduction, the Nigerian Army troops, police tactical teams, vigilantes, and other security forces were deployed to track the movements of the kidnappers.
Their aggressive pursuit led to the successful release of Daina, while efforts continue to rescue the remaining captives and dismantle the criminal network responsible for the attack.
Sources said that the security forces are currently conducting aerial surveillance, intelligence-driven operations, and ground raids on identified bandit hideouts in the region.
Kidnapped Munya LGA Secretary Regains Freedom as Security Forces Intensify Rescue Efforts
FG unveils 39 inmate transport vehicles, armoured booths for prison security
Damaturu Flyover: The Making of A Befitting State Capital
Kidnapped Munya LGA Secretary Regains Freedom as Security Forces Intensify Rescue Efforts
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
EYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
News12 months agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News11 months agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Opinions3 years agoPOLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
ACADEMICS12 months agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns12 months agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions1 year agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
National News12 months agoFraud and Mismanagement Rock INGO’s IDP Cash Assistance Effort in Bama
