Akwa Ibom and Rivers Communities Cry Out Over Oil Pollution, Poverty Despite Rich Resources

Communities in Akwa Ibom and Rivers States continue to suffer from oil pollution and poverty, despite being located in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta. Residents of Ibeno, Okoroitak, Iwuopom, and Ogoniland report contaminated rivers, ruined farmlands, and decaying infrastructure caused by decades of oil spills and gas flaring. Many locals, including women and youth leaders, describe loss of livelihoods, absence of healthcare, and lack of jobs. Despite the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) mandating 3% of oil revenues for host communities, locals claim they have seen no benefits. Cleanup efforts by HYPREP and companies like Shell are slow, leaving communities vulnerable and dependent on dwindling resources. Rights groups warn of corruption, mismanagement, and ongoing environmental hazards from abandoned oil operations.

#OilPollution #NigerDelta #AkwaIbom #RiversState #EnvironmentalJustice #HYPREP #SeplatEnergy #ExxonMobil #PIA #CommunityStruggle

Khana Traditional Rulers Back Tinubu On HYPREP Board Appointment, Others
By Deborah Agbalama | Updated September 4, 2025

The Khana Local Government Traditional Rulers’ Council has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Ogoni indigenes into key national positions, including the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) Board of Trustees.

In a communiqué signed by Chairman HRM Swano Lumani after a press briefing in Bori, the council said the appointments reflect the wishes of the people and pledged full support for Mr. Emmanuel Nwiika Deeyah as Chairman of the Ogoni Trust Fund (HYPREP).

They also commended Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environment and Technology in Ogoniland and naming Prof. Don Baridam as Pro-Chancellor.

The council congratulated Bariere Thomas on his emergence as Khana LGA Chairman, urging him and the councillors to run an inclusive government.

The rulers warned against sustained media attacks on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Deeyah, and other Ogoni leaders, stressing that such actions would attract sanctions.

HYPREP yet to attain 80% restoration of Ogoni polluted environment.

Various claims and reports have continued to trail the ongoing cleanup exercise in Ogoni land, Rivers State, being handled by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) .

Former Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, in June 2016, flagged off the remediation exercise. However, on May 25, 2025, the Africa Independent Television (AIT), and some media outlets reported that the remediation of the Ogoni land at the Centre of Excellence and Environmental Restoration is almost 80 per cent completed and has attracted various partnerships from within the country and international communities, including the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Peter Ryan, who was at the HYPREP office in Port Harcourt, seeking partnership with the agency.

The report, since then, has sparked controversies, especially on X space with many X users commending the efforts of President Bola Tinubu while others described it as ‘propaganda,’ stating that the President wants to resume oil exploration in Ogoniland, hence, the claim.

An X user, with the handle, @TheLionkin6627, said: “Your interest is to suck their oil, you don’t care about them (the Ogoni).” Another user, @proudnaijaguyy, said: “PBAT na talk and do” while George Damian, said, “We play with figures too much in Nigeria.”

Concerned by the controversies generated by the report, The Guardian conducted an on-the-ground assessment of the current situation of the Ogoni cleanup exercise, which revealed that the exercise is still far from attaining 80 per cent completion