Niger Delta Development Commission pushes environmental education to address Nigeria's ecological crisis

Dr Patterson Ogon, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), urged Nigerian authorities, educators and environmental stakeholders to adopt environmental education as a fourth pillar of ecological governance. Speaking at the Environmental Education Summit organized by the University of Port Harcourt’s Department of Adult and Non‑Formal Education, he warned that inadequate environmental knowledge among citizens and leaders hampers effective natural‑resource management.

Ogon cited data from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency showing over 754,000 barrels of oil spilled in Nigeria between 2006 and 2022, and highlighted additional challenges such as desertification in the north, gully erosion in the southeast, coastal flooding in Lagos and illegal mining. He unveiled the “Port Harcourt Framework for Environmental Education and Ecological Governance,” proposing a National Environmental Education Policy and Strategic Plan for 2026‑2035, stronger coordination among agencies, community‑based learning and expanded university research on mangrove restoration and flood management. The commission calls for the integration of environmental education into formal schooling, adult learning and leadership development programmes.