Niger Delta Deserves Justice After 70yrs Of Oil Production — Diri, Jonathan

Prominent leaders from government, the oil and gas industry, academia and civil society on Monday gathered in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, to reflect on seven decades of oil exploration in Nigeria, calling for environmental justice, sustainable development and greater local participation in the nation’s petroleum industry.

Hotnews reports that the occasion was the opening of the 2026 Sweet Crude Dialogue, held at the Conference Centre of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Towers in Yenagoa. The dialogue, themed “Through the Python’s Eye: 70 Years of Oil and Gas Production in Nigeria,” brought together critical stakeholders to assess the gains, challenges and future of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Speaking at the event, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, urged stakeholders to work collectively towards addressing decades of environmental degradation in the Niger Delta while ensuring that the region receives the justice and development it deserves.

Governor Diri who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, the Governor lamented the devastating environmental consequences of oil exploration in the Niger Delta, revealing that about 13 million barrels of crude oil were spilled in the region between 1958, when Nigeria made its first shipment of crude oil, and 2010.

He described the findings of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission as sobering, noting that the Commission had characterized the environmental damage suffered by the state as “nothing short of an environmental genocide.”

Governor Diri reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to implementing the Commission’s recommendations and called on environmental advocacy groups, particularly De Mangrove Conversations, to partner with government in advancing environmental restoration and justice.

“The State Government has embraced the Commission’s findings, and the Governor has asked me to reaffirm, in the clearest terms, this administration’s commitment to environmental justice, the remediation of our lands and waters, the restoration of livelihoods, and a just energy transition in which the communities that bore the burdens of the oil age are not abandoned at its close,” he said.

He stressed that the Commission’s report must not be allowed to gather dust on government shelves, insisting that achieving environmental justice requires the active collaboration of governments, development partners and advocacy organizations.

“A report of such weight must not remain on the shelf, and government cannot carry this responsibility alone.”

“The Bayelsa State Government therefore calls on De Mangrove Conversations and all environmental advocacy organizations, especially those working across the Niger Delta, to align their efforts with the implementation of the recommendations of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission,” he added.

Chairman of the occasion and former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, emphasized that Nigeria’s oil wealth would only translate into sustainable economic development if more components and services required by the petroleum industry were produced within the country.

Dr. Jonathan observed that merely exporting crude oil was insufficient to diversify the economy or create meaningful employment opportunities, stressing that industrialization remains the key to unlocking the full benefits of the sector.

“If we cannot develop or produce some of these things used in the oil industry within the country, we will not achieve anything significant in the oil industry. It is not just about selling the crude oil.”

“Yes, we earn money from that, but that does not diversify the economy and create enough jobs. What will diversify your economy is the industrial aspects of the operations of the oil industry.”

The former President expressed satisfaction with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act enacted during his administration in 2010 and the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, describing both legislations as vital instruments capable of transforming the industry if faithfully implemented and periodically reviewed.

“With these two pieces of legislation, and if they are followed to the letter with amendments where necessary, I believe things will be much better,” Jonathan stated.

Delivering the keynote address, Professor of Comparative Petroleum and International Law and Policy, Prof. Ibibia Worika, said the 70-year history of oil production in Nigeria presents a mixed legacy of enormous national wealth alongside deep governance failures and environmental degradation.

He argued that while petroleum resources generated unprecedented revenues for Nigeria, they also weakened agriculture, undermined manufacturing and entrenched dependence on oil revenues instead of driving economic diversification.

Prof. Worika maintained that the Niger Delta, despite contributing immensely to the nation’s wealth, has benefited little from decades of oil production and therefore deserves environmental justice and sustainable development.

“The Niger Delta has always borne the burden of oil production. The tragedy of the Niger Delta reminds us that development cannot be measured by revenue generation alone, and that development must necessarily improve the wellbeing of the people as well as protect the environment,” he said.

He described environmental justice for the Niger Delta as a constitutional, moral and developmental imperative that must no longer be ignored.

Also speaking through goodwill messages, the Governor of Delta State, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prince Johnson Erijo, underscored the need for stronger collaboration among governments, host communities and industry players to ensure that the nation’s natural resources translate into inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The two-day Sweet Crude Dialogue is expected to generate policy recommendations aimed at promoting environmental sustainability, strengthening local content, advancing energy transition and ensuring that the Niger Delta finally enjoys the full benefits of the resources extracted from its soil after seven decades of oil production.

~ Hot News Reporters
Thursday, 23, July, 2026