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, further devastating farmlands, rivers and vegetation.

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

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

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

Speaking after inspecting the site alongside environmental activists, 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 extent of the devastation and are now sitting comfortably in Abuja. This is a disservice not only to the environment but also 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 first 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, citing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report’s recommendation to remove 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.

“This was exactly what triggered the Ogoni struggle, a struggle that cost nearly 2,000 lives,” he said.

“The Joint Investigation Report clearly stated that the cause of this spill was equipment failure, yet routine checks were neglected after production stopped.”

Akpobari criticised the government’s inaction despite the NSA-led visit. “They came here, walked on sand laid out like a red carpet, and declared Ogoni ripe for the resumption of oil. That is hypocrisy

People should be farming now, but their farmlands have been completely destroyed. What does this mean for food security?” he asked.

Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of Kpean community, Chief Lucky Gbene Ewor, lamented that residents could no longer farm or fish because of pollution.

“At this time of the year, our people should be on their farms, but nobody can farm or fish anymore,” he said. “Talking about oil resumption under these conditions is insensitive and a joke taken too far.”

The monarch called for a comprehensive cleanup, compensation and a genuine commitment to the Ogoni Bill of Rights before any discussion of oil resumption could be entertained.

He cautioned the Federal Government against relying on individuals pushing for oil resumption, describing them as misleading voices disconnected from the people’s suffering.

(The Guardian)

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