Communities along the coast of Niger Delta, which are on the verge of being washed off into the sea/rivers, a situation that has led to the eviction of several coastal communities, have cried out to government to come to their aid and tackle the rampaging sea level rise.
Stakeholders of coastal communities, including women and youths leaders from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers States, made the appeal in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, weekend, during a ‘National Community Dialogue on Fossil Fuel Exploitation and Sea Level Rise, SLR, in Nigeria’ organised by Oilwatch Nigeria.
The communities lamented that they had suffered loss of sources of livelihoods, displacement of indigenes and acidification of fresher waters, a situation they said has affected drinking water and the life expectancies of the people.
According to the communities, the exploration and production of oil, gas flaring have exacerbated the problems of sea level rise, natural resource depletion, and the washing away of historical sites like the grave of Lord Luguard in Forcados, Delta State and the aesthetic nature of Niger Delta communities.
They urged the Federal government, World Bank, and other bilateral agencies to commit funding to address sea level rise just like the attention that is currently being given to desertification.
Speaking at the one-day community dialogue, Coordinator, Oilwatch Nigeria, Kentebe Ebiaridor, noted that it was a fact that the impact of climate change was real and gradually erasing Niger Delta communities in the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean, adding that it was imperative to hear from the community people and know their plight.
He said: “We have noticed in the past that apart from flooding, our communities are gradually going extinct on the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean. because of that, we think that it is important that we are heard and also use it as a platform to advocate government attention towards putting their eyes in frontline communities and most importantly, to reduce the impact of climate change on our communities because they are the ones suffering from the impacts.”
Also in his remark, Mr. Alagoa Morris, Head of Environmental Rights Action, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, Niger Delta Resource Centre, admonished the stakeholders for taking proactive steps in ensuring that they live in harmony with nature and consciously work against all activities that would cause mother earth to retaliate against human actions.