One month after a high-powered Federal Government delegation led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, visited Ogoniland and assured residents of urgent intervention, findings by The Guardian reveal that oil pollution at the affected site has worsened, with farmlands, rivers, and vegetation further devastated.

The Federal Government delegation had, on December 22, 2025, visited the spill site at the Yorla Oil Field in Kpean Community, Khana Local Council Area of Rivers State, to assess the extent of environmental damage. During the visit, Ribadu pledged that those responsible for the spill would be identified and prosecuted.

However, a follow-up visit by The Guardian to the site yesterday showed that the oil spill had spread significantly, destroying more farmlands and aquatic life, with no visible remediation or containment efforts.

The pungent smell of crude oil could be perceived from a distance, while mangroves, palm trees, fruit trees, and farmlands lay blackened and lifeless.

Speaking after inspecting the site alongside environmental activists, the Executive Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr Nnimmo Bassey, lamented the worsening impact of the spill, describing the scene as alarming.

“It looks like a scene of fire, but all this destruction of mangroves, palm trees, mango trees, and others was caused solely by the oil spill,” Bassey said. “What is most shocking is that this spill was reported promptly, and the community has been monitoring the environment closely, yet the government has shown no action.”

He recalled that government officials visited the site just hours after the spill was initially contained, yet no concrete action has followed. “They saw the level of devastation and are now sitting comfortably in Abuja. This is a disservice not only to the environment, but to the people of Ogoniland, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria as a whole,” he added.

Bassey stressed that immediate cleanup should be the government’s priority, followed by environmental restoration and compensation for affected farmers and fishers. He warned that plans to resume oil production in Ogoni without addressing existing damage would worsen the crisis.

“If facilities shut down since 1993 are still causing this level of destruction, reopening the wells without decommissioning obsolete infrastructure would be reckless,” he said, referencing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report’s recommendation for the removal of dilapidated oil facilities.

Also speaking, environmental activist and Niger Delta advocate, Celestine Akpobari, described the Federal Government’s plan to resume oil exploration in Ogoni as “unthinkable” given the prevailing environmental devastation.