Activists demand constitutional review to tackle oil pollution

– Strengthen climate justice

Mkpoikana Udoma

Port Harcourt — Environmental advocates and legal experts have called on Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the ongoing constitutional amendment process to demand sweeping reforms of environmental laws and decentralize control of natural resources, particularly petroleum, in a bid to tackle pollution and climate injustices in oil-producing communities.

The call came during a one-day hybrid forum organized by the Environmental Defenders Network, EDEN, in collaboration with the Nigeria Chapter of the International Law Association and Chima Williams and Associates, held at EDEN’s headquarters in Benin City, Edo State.

Participants unanimously rejected what they described as a constitutional framework that puts “absolute power” over Nigeria’s oil wealth in the hands of the federal government, leaving states, regulatory agencies, and affected communities powerless in the fight against pollution.

“Our constitution bestows control of all mineral resources on the federal government. This monopoly has failed to guarantee environmental protection or accountability,” said Barr. Chima Williams, Executive Director of EDEN.

“Until we revise those provisions, the fight for environmental justice will remain a losing battle.”

Williams, a renowned environmental lawyer, said climate justice must begin with constitutional clarity that empowers states and courts to act decisively against polluting oil companies.

Also, Comrade Alagoa Morris, Deputy Executive Director of EDEN, drew attention to worsening climate impacts in the Niger Delta, including frequent floods, failed harvests, and air pollution caused by the military and security contractors engaged in illegal crude oil spill remediation by combustion.

“The burning of seized vessels and containers by military agents and NNPC contractors floods our environment with hydrocarbons, making clean air and water a luxury in the Niger Delta,” Morris said.

He noted that local communities are increasingly left to fend for themselves amid climate-induced disruptions to agriculture, worsened by crude oil pollution.

“Lawyers are ready to help, but without scientific data and expert research, the polluters always escape liability,” he lamented.

Philip Jakpor, EDEN’s Director of Programmes, emphasized the role of the media in shaping public perception and driving accountability, urging journalists to center climate stories on local realities.

“We must humanize climate impacts, tell the stories of affected farmers, women, children, and link their struggles to the role of fossil fuel corporations and government inaction,” Jakpor said.

Maimoni Ubrei-Joe, EDEN’s Director of Climate and Energy Justice, warned against distractions such as geoengineering, carbon markets, and waste-to-energy schemes, which he said divert attention from real solutions.

“These are false solutions. What we need is divestment from fossil fuels and a just transition to community-led renewable energy,” he stated.

Dr. Eghosa Ekhator, Associate Professor of International and Environmental Law at the University of Derby, UK, said climate laws in Nigeria lack bite and must be reworked to deliver justice.

“The vulnerable are the most affected, yet they’re the least represented in court. We must empower communities to pursue climate litigation,” Ekhator said.

He urged civil society groups to invest in legal education for grassroots communities so they can hold corporations and regulators accountable.

Also speaking, Eric Omare, a legal practitioner, explained how provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act can be used to demand reparations for environmental damage, while Prof. Ngozi Stewart of the University of Benin stressed the need to move “from law to impact” by strengthening environmental governance.

Dr. Brown Umukoro of Delta State University advocated for youth and child-centered climate litigation, stressing the intergenerational consequences of today’s ecological failures.

The forum, which was attended by environmentalists, women-led groups, academics, legal professionals, and journalists, both in-person and virtually, concluded with a consensus on the need for a grassroots-driven, legally-backed movement for environmental accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector.