Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State on Tuesday made an impassioned appeal to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, decrying the extensive environmental devastation wrought by oil companies on the state. Diri, leading a high-powered delegation of Bayelsa’s political and traditional elite, as well as the heads of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), formally presented the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission (BSOEC) report titled, “An Environmental Genocide: Counting the Human and Environmental Cost of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria.”
The report highlighted alarming levels of pollution caused by oil extraction activities, which Diri said have crippled the state’s economy and led to severe health crises. He called on the President for immediate federal intervention, pointing to Bayelsa’s rampant cancer rates and other previously rare illnesses now plaguing the state’s population. According to Diri, the report outlines steps to address the environmental catastrophe, which he insisted must be tackled if Bayelsa is to survive.
Acknowledging Tinubu’s ongoing efforts, Diri thanked him for initiating the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project. However, he urged Tinubu to prioritize the completion of the long-stalled East-West Road, a critical infrastructure project that has been in limbo for years. Diri also requested federal support for Bayelsa’s key projects, including the Nembe-Brass and Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie road projects, and invited the President to inaugurate the recently completed Sagbama-Ekeremor road, as well as to perform the flag-off of the Ekeremor-Agge road to boost Nigeria’s blue economy by linking the Atlantic Ocean.
Diri raised another contentious issue: the revocation of the license for Bayelsa’s Atala Oil Field (OML 46) under the previous administration, appealing for its re-allocation. He underscored the economic injustice suffered by Bayelsa, despite being the birthplace of Nigeria’s oil industry with the historic Oloibiri oil field, saying that the state has been deprived of the financial benefits it deserves.
In a gesture of gratitude, Diri commended Tinubu for appointing Dame Didi Walson-Jack, a daughter of Bayelsa, as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and thanked him for appointing other Bayelsans to strategic positions. Diri’s visit also served as a cultural affirmation, with the governor describing Bayelsa as the "melting pot" of the Ijaw people, emphasizing that his delegation was there to show appreciation on behalf of the entire Ijaw community.
The delegation included prominent figures like former Rivers State Governor King Alfred Diete-Spiff, Senators Konbowei Benson and Benson Agadaga, House representatives, Bayelsa’s Speaker, and other distinguished leaders from the Niger Delta, all united in advocating for Bayelsa’s rights and justice on a national stage.
