Bayelsa identified as one of Nigeria's most polluted states

Nnimmo Bassey, the executive director and founder of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has identified Bayelsa as one of the most polluted states in Nigeria, and potentially the world, due to hydrocarbon extraction. Speaking during a capacity-sharing program in the Nembe Local Government Area, Bassey cited a May 2023 report from the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission, which recorded a per capita oil pollution level of 1.5 barrels of crude oil per person.

Bassey criticized oil companies for failing to perform adequate remediation, alleging that many resort to superficial or flimsy cleanup measures rather than proper environmental restoration. He referenced the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment of Ogoniland as a precedent for the devastating long-term consequences of oil pollution in the Niger Delta.

He further characterized the Niger Delta as a “sacrificial zone” that has faced systematic destruction since the early 1950s, noting that oil and gas extraction has led to massive deforestation and significant erosion affecting both land and coastlines.