Some environmental experts have decried worsening environmental degradation in the South-South region and urged adequate utilisation of ecological funds to address the challenges.
The stakeholders, who reacted to a survey on the state of environment, said the environmental challenges in the region were caused by natural and human activities.
They identified the environmental degradation in the region to include erosion, carbon emissions, water pollution, tree felling, ocean encroachment, among others.
The stakeholders also urged strict enforcement of laws to protect the environment from further damage.
In Rivers State, some environmental experts charged authorities to execute extant laws to safeguard the earth as they decried the increasing pollution resulting from human activities.
Prof. Chibuogwu Eze, Director, Institute of Pollution Studies, Rivers State University, criticised the level of underground water pollution in Niger Delta, saying that poisonous substances including lead infiltrated the underground water.
Eze attributed the pollution of the underground waters to the neglect of the fuel station operators over the maintenance of their underground storage tanks which sometimes, leaked fuel into underground waters and invariably into the boreholes.
According to his research, sponsored by the university (RSU) on ground water pollution, such pollution affects everyone since every household now depends on boreholes.
“In Rivers, for instance, you don’t need to dredge too deep into the ground before getting water; this, on the other hand is a risk factor; sadly, boiling water only kills pathogens and not lead.
Eze added that extant laws guiding maintenance of underground fuel storage tanks including confirmatory tests and certification of fuel tanks were safety measure that should not be undermined by fuel station operators.
“The law also stipulates an interval of five-years test for corrosion or possible leakage as a result of wear and tear and allows for a maximum of 20 years lifespan for underground fuel storage tanks.
“We should be more careful and abide by these regulatory guidelines because of our low topography so that petroleum products don’t find their way into our underground water,” he added.
Mr. Fyneface Dumnamene, Executive Director, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), analysed the ecological funds disbursements and faulted states particularly Rivers on inadequate spending of the fund.
He noted that the ecological funds were about two per cent of federal budget allocated to states in varying degrees to address environmental challenges across the country.
”These funds are not given separately but added to the federal allocation that goes to each state of the federation at the end of every 30 days,” he said.
Dumnamene explained that while some states utilised their ecological funds to address issues associated with ecology, others were yet to do the same.
He claimed that the state received its ecological allocation which ran into hundreds of millions of Naira from 2023 to 2025 but the ecological issued had remained unaddressed.
“Rivers is one of the states in Nigeria that have suffered a lot of environmental challenges including erosion, flood, oil spills, ocean encroachments, among others, sadly, the state is not maximizing these funds to address these challenges,” he alleged.
Dumnamene urged government to set up a special committee on disaster management through which the ecological funds would be utilised to tackle the environmental challenges confronting the state.
In Cross River State, Prof. Francis Bissong, a Professor of Conservation and Bio Geography in the University of Calabar (UniCal), said large-scale logging had been going on around the key forest corridors in the state.
He said the illegal activities were threatening the biodiversity and livelihoods of local communities and the state in general.
He warned that the uncoordinated activities around the Mbe Mountains and other areas would endanger critical habitats, including gorilla conservation areas, and could lead to long-term ecological and economic losses.
According to Bissong, Cross River falls within one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, making reckless logging a major environmental threat.
“Unsustainable logging practices destroy non-timber forest products, displace wildlife, and increase risks of flooding and erosion,” he said.
Cross River has one of Africa’s last remaining high-biodiversity tropical forests.
Its richest biodiversity is characterised by tropical rainforest, mangroves, and diverse system which makes it a global biodiversity hotspot.
It is also hosting immense flora/fauna, rare species like Calabar angwantibo and threatened fisheries; however, the deforestation, occasioned by the felling of trees, is threatening the critical ecosystem.
The don stressed that involving local communities in forest management would enhance protection and create alternative livelihoods through ecosystem-based enterprises.
Bissong advocated land-use zoning and stronger enforcement of existing forestry regulations.
In his contribution, Mr. George Oben-Etchi, Director-General of the Cross River Forestry Commission, said efforts were ongoing to curb illegal logging which had impacted the environment adversely.
Oben-Etchi said the commission planned to introduce a “permiteeship” system to regulate logging activities and reduce unauthorised operations.
He added that illegal loggers were being arrested while designated courts had been established to prosecute offenders.
On his part, Ken Henshaw of “We the People” called for the inclusion of communities and experts in decision-making and stronger laws, as well as recognising them in climate finance opportunities to ensure sustainable forest management.
“When natural resources are extracted without benefiting local communities, resentment grows. This is why our review emphasises community participation.
“The current Forestry Law treats communities as passive recipients of government policy, there is no formal space for community representatives on the Forestry Commission board.
“Climate finance globally amounts to trillions of dollars annually, yet local forest communities receive virtually nothing,” he said.
Henshaw added that civil society, the media, and other stakeholders must continue the advocacy and public engagement on the degradation of Cross River Forest and environment to ensure a sustainable future of the state.
In Akwa Ibom State, Dr Sunday Nditoi, an Environmental Consultant in Uyo, urged the government to enact strong regulations to protect the forests and guard against environmental degradation.
Nditoi, who is a former State Director of Environment, Federal Ministry of Environment, condemned the felling of trees in the forest, saying: “Deforestation has affected the environment in no small ways.”
He said the smoke from bush burning and gas flaring had also affected the environment, adding: “We have lost our forest by indiscriminate felling of trees.
”Any tree we cut, two trees should be planted to protect the environment; we should not cut trees and burn bushes unnecessarily.
“We should have some forest reserve that could help the areas that have less oxygen production.”
Nditoi added that spraying of chemicals on crops and herbicides also affected the environment and injurious to health, calling for sensitisation of farmers on the side effects of chemicals.
Mr. Umo Isua-Ikoh, the Coordinator of Peace Point Development Foundation (PPDF), in Uyo, said the environmental degradation in the state was majorly caused by human activities which included oil spills and gas flare.
He said that in the Niger Delta, a lot of issues like oil spill, gas flaring, deforestation and ocean encroachment threatened the human existence, food safety and food security.
“Life expectancy is extremely low and our farmers cannot plant and have a good harvest due to oil spill and gas flaring in the area.
He said the level of fish extinction due to human activities had caused fishermen to travel long distances for weeks on sea to fish and would only come back with little or no fish at all.
Isua-Ikoh, an Environment Justice Advocate, urged the state government to update and enforce environmental laws in order to save the environment and protect human life.
He commended the Ministry of Environment for always creating awareness on environmental issues in the country.
Dr Aniekan Umanah, Commissioner for Information, said that the state government had done so much work in checking the menace of erosion and other environmental degradation.
Umanah said the government had reclaimed over 75 hectares of land along brooks street near government house which was a completely gully ravaged environment.
He said that the government also built an Akwa Ibom resort on the reclaimed land, adding that with the dualism of Uyo villages, the gullies are being cleared
“Also reclaimed, are the Mandala area along Ikot Ekpene road which is ongoing; the ground water that almost brought down the area has been stopped, and several ecological interventions are done to check environmental degradation,” Umanah said.
Umanah acknowledged that the state government had been benefiting from the Federal Government ecological funds but could not mention the amount collected so far.
He promised that the government would continue to invest in ecological management and urged citizens to be part of the process of mitigating environmental hazards by ensuring that they protect the environment.
He said that the state government had made it mandatory for construction companies in the state to return their borrow pit to its original state after construction to avoid environmental challenges.
