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The Oilwatch International, a civil society organisation (CSO), has urged the Federal Government to adopt sustainable measures to address climate change manifestations in the Niger Delta region and the country.
The coordinator of the group, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, made the call during the group’s Annual General Meeting, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
Ebiaridor said that the theme of the meeting was “Advancing Climate Justice in Nigeria: From fossil fuels to fossil freedom”.
He said that decades of environmental degradation and health impact caused by oil exploration and production had necessitated the call for action to curb climate change impact on the citizens.
He listed the transition to renewable energy sources as part of the sustainable measures to address climate change manifestations in the region.
Ebiaridor further identified the enforcement of strict emission controls on industries, particularly in the oil and gas sector, to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
He also recommended the implementation of energy-efficient practices and technologies in buildings, industries, and transportation systems to reduce energy consumption.
He further encouraged the implementation of climate change adaptation and resilience plans by developing and implementing plans to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise, droughts, and floods.
Other measures, he said, included providing support to vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change impacts, including providing climate-resilient infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, and climate-related disaster risk reduction.
Ebiaridor expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the environment and the lack of transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector.
He called on the government, multinational oil companies and manufacturing industries to end gas flaring by using the by-product for raw material.
The Coordinator, Oilwatch in Nigeria, Dr Emem Okon, called for climate mitigation finance to be targeted at community women in rural areas.
Okon emphasised the need for targeted funding and sustainable measures, pointing out that women were disproportionately affected by climate change, particularly in the area of flooding.
Okon, who is also the Executive Director, Kebetkatche Women Development and Resource Centre, said that women in the Niger Delta region were taking proactive steps to cope with the impacts of climate change, including health impacts, destruction of livelihoods, and loss of property.
She urged government to support community women with vocational skills and startup funds to cushion the effects of climate-related disasters.
“We are calling for implementable strategies to promote climate justice and sustainable development in the Niger Delta region,” she said.
Also, the Executive Director of another CSO, We the People, Mr. Ken Henshaw, called for the protection of the environment by legal means, saying it would be a key to achieving environmental justice.
Henshaw alleged that oil companies had been moving away after their operations in the Niger Delta without environmental remediation and accountability.
He warned that the oil companies “disinform and manipulate public opinion to avoid taking responsibility for their actions”.
Henshaw called for the reform of the Petroleum Industry Act to remove clauses suspected to be unfair to communities affected by oil spills.
He also advocated for the establishment of a global court to punish crimes against nature, known as ecocide, and for oil companies to be held liable for environmental damage caused by their operations.
He emphasised that the demand for environmental justice is a call to action to protect the environment and ensure that those responsible for environmental degradation were held accountable.
By Precious Akutamadu
