From the Nigerian Blue Community Peace Point Development Foundation-PPDF:
On 19th March 2026, Peace Point Development Foundation (PPDF), in collaboration with the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), convened a Stakeholder Dialogue and Roundtable Discussion on Building Community Rights Defenders in the Niger Delta.
1. The dialogue brought together community representatives from Opolom, Ibeno (Akwa Ibom State) and Essirebom (Cross River State), relevant Government Officials, civil society actors, environmental advocates, and other key stakeholders to strengthen local capacity for environmental monitoring, advocacy, and accountability.
2. Key Highlights
- Community-based monitoring of oil pollution
- Sustainable fishing and mangrove restoration
- Environmental rights and oil company accountability
- The Niger Delta continues to experience severe environmental degradation, including oil spills, gas flaring, deforestation, and destruction of mangrove ecosystems.
- These environmental challenges have significantly affected livelihoods, especially fishing, leading to poverty, inequality, and community conflicts.
- There is low accountability from oil companies, often accompanied by denial of responsibility and inadequate compensation.
- Harmful local practices, such as the use of chemicals and mosquito nets for fishing, further threaten aquatic ecosystems and public health.
- Communities often lack the necessary tools, information, and platforms to effectively document and report environmental violations.
- Strengthen community-based monitoring systems for environmental protection.
- Promote awareness and education on environmental rights and sustainable practices.
- Encourage the use of simple tools (e.g., GPS-enabled devices) for documenting pollution incidents.
- Advocate for the restoration of degraded ecosystems, particularly mangroves.
- Support the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) in community engagements.
- Promote sustainable fishing practices and discourage destructive methods.
- Foster collaboration among communities, civil society, media, and government institutions.
- Government agencies should improve response mechanisms to oil spills and enforce environmental regulations.
- Oil companies should be held accountable under the “polluter pays” principle and ensure proper remediation of affected sites.
- Regulatory bodies such as NOSDRA and NUPRC should strengthen transparency in Joint Investigation Visits (JIV).
- Communities should actively report environmental violations through appropriate channels, including media and civil society organizations.
- Development partners and NGOs should continue supporting capacity-building initiatives for community rights defenders.
- Speak out against environmental degradation
- Document and report incidents of pollution
- Act as custodians of their natural resources
As emphasized during the dialogue: “The fish cannot speak, but we can speak for our environment.”
