Stakeholders from across the Niger Delta have renewed calls for environmental justice, climate accountability and a transition from decades of oil dependence, as the LincGreen Climate Change Initiative convened its third annual “Look Beyond Oil” conference to mark World Environment Day 2026 in Port Harcourt.
The conference, held at Autograph Event Place along Abacha Road, GRA, Port Harcourt, drew a diverse audience of traditional rulers, environmental activists, students, researchers, community leaders and young advocates who gathered to examine the ecological realities confronting the Niger Delta and chart pathways towards a sustainable future.
Uniquely designed in the format of the traditional Niger Delta “Tales by Moonlight,” the event recreated the age-old practice of gathering after dark to share stories that preserve histories, convey warnings and reveal truths. Organisers said the approach was intended to create a space for honest conversations about the environmental challenges facing the region.
In his opening address, Executive Director of LincGreen Climate Change Initiative, Tobechukwu Diolu, said the organisation was born out of the devastating floods that ravaged communities across Rivers State in 2022, exposing the fragile environmental condition of the Niger Delta after decades of oil-related degradation.
According to him, LincGreen’s engagements across the region have revealed the scale of the environmental crisis confronting local communities.
“LincGreen has visited 75 communities across the Niger Delta between 2024 and 2025. We have witnessed the multidimensional impacts of climate change, including the loss of homes, massive displacement of people and widespread environmental damage,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of affected oil-producing communities, the Paramount Ruler of Ogale Kingdom in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, HRH King Godwin Bebe Okpabi, lamented the environmental consequences of decades of oil extraction.
He disclosed that Ogale community alone hosts about 20 oil wells but has received little environmental remediation despite years of exploitation.
“The oil was taken, but the land was not restored,” he said, while also criticising what he described as a deliberate divide-and-rule strategy that has weakened the collective bargaining power of Niger Delta communities.
Veteran environmental and community rights activist, Elder Celestine Akpobari, challenged young people to become more strategic in their advocacy efforts.
“If you want to destroy a man, destroy the environment,” he said, urging participants to transform information gathered through activism into practical campaigns capable of driving genuine change rather than merely documenting the region’s suffering.
Also speaking, Dr Isaac Osuoka, Director of Social Action International, described oil exploitation in the Niger Delta as a system of extraction that has impoverished communities while enriching others.
“For us, oil represents colonisation, plunder and robbery of our people and land. It is the responsibility of the youth to recognise the need for change and to work for change,” he said.
Representing Rooted Rising Initiative, Chidera Onwuzurike stressed that climate change is no longer an abstract concept but a lived reality affecting communities daily.
She noted that her organisation focuses on the media dimensions of climate advocacy and is committed to ensuring that stories from the Niger Delta are told authentically and by those directly affected by environmental challenges.
On the role of technology, Executive Coordinator of MAJI, Onyekachi Emmanuel, highlighted the importance of data in environmental protection and climate advocacy.
He urged young people to embrace technological tools that can enhance public awareness, strengthen evidence-based campaigns and improve environmental accountability.
Similarly, investigative journalist Dappa Prinye Peter encouraged emerging advocates to develop precision in their communication efforts by focusing on clearly defined issues and building consistent platforms capable of sustaining public engagement.
Contributing to discussions on youth participation and nation-building, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Obari Gomba, advised young Nigerians against abandoning the country in search of opportunities abroad.
He urged them instead to remain and contribute meaningfully to national development.
A Research Fellow at the Institute of Geosciences and Environmental Management, Rivers State University, Dr Ibinabo Ogolo, called on academics from the region to take a more active role in documenting the environmental crisis and holding institutions accountable.
“For more than 60 years, Niger Delta land, water and air have suffered oil pollution, gas flaring and climate impacts. As scholars from this region, we carry a unique responsibility. We possess the data, lived experience and intellectual tools to rigorously expose this crisis. We have not done enough,” she said.
Ogolo further challenged researchers to critically evaluate interventions by agencies such as the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), while generating evidence capable of influencing policy and strengthening accountability.
“The Niger Delta is ground zero for climate justice. If we do not document and analyse our story, others will write it for us or ignore it entirely,” she added.
Also speaking, Prof. Malisi Onyeka Festus of the University of Port Harcourt encouraged young people to sustain their involvement in environmental advocacy through continuous learning, motivation, skill acquisition and community engagement.
Participants at the conference agreed that while climate change remains a global challenge, the Niger Delta occupies a unique position where environmental degradation, oil pollution and climate vulnerability intersect. They called for stronger grassroots mobilisation, increased investment in climate education and greater accountability from governments, regulatory agencies and oil companies operating in the region.
The Atlantic Bell reports that as the event concluded, a common message resonated across generations: the future of the Niger Delta depends not only on looking beyond oil, but on empowering communities to shape a more just and sustainable environmental future.
