An environmental activist, Nnimmo Bassey, has said that the Federal Government must urgently begin an audit of the rest of the Niger Delta environment and equally commence the clean up, which would require up to $150 billion a year until the mess is cleared in the region.

Bassey, who spoke with The Guardian in Benin, explained that this estimate is based on the fact that there are an average of 300 oil spills per year in the Niger Delta. He referenced the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), which had noted that there were over 589 oil spills recorded in 2024 alone.

According to the environmental activist, the estimate includes costs for clean up, remediation, restoration and compensation for damages, while adequate compensation has never been paid in the history of oil-related carnage in the region and Nigeria in general. He said: “We also bear in mind that the cost of clean-up and compensation for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill of 2010 has been put at $61.6 billion.

That was just one spill. An estimate of $150 billion per year for the clean-up of the Niger Delta is conservative in a regime of unrelenting spills and related damage.

“The clean-up of Ogoni may appear slow, but where on earth has anyone seen the level of pollution that we have in the Niger Delta? and we must also note that although oil extraction stopped in Ogoni in 1993, the pollution and oil spills have never stopped due to the rotten state of the facilities criss crossing the territory.

Bassey also pointed out that the talks of divestment by the polluters and the willingness of the government to accept such moves are a massive tragedy and must be rejected.

He, however, noted that the most striking aspect is the engagement of community members, especially the women, in efforts to restore the ravaged mangroves in the territory, saying that this singular work approach should provide lessons to other agencies on inclusive development pathways.

Bassey further said: “Talks about reopening the oil wells of Ogoniland should be shelved and possibly discussed after the cleanup of Ogoniland and the entire Niger Delta is concluded. To do otherwise is to trivialise the sufferings of the people, the deaths recorded and the ecocide inflicted on the region.”

Also speaking on the issues, the President of Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), Dr Fabeke Douglas, stated that it is profoundly distressing and regrettable to witness the corruption and illegality that pervades the current administration of the Minister of Environment.