The Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to develop and implement sustainable, long-term solutions to the persistent socio-economic challenges facing the Niger Delta region.
Her call comes as the oil-rich region continues to grapple with the devastating impact of environmental degradation, largely caused by decades of oil and gas exploration, gas flaring, and recurring oil spills.
Speaking at the NDDC’s 25th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Okonjo-Iweala emphasized the urgent need to prioritize the economic well-being and infrastructure development of the Niger Delta, noting that the region’s neglect has led to widespread frustration and increased restiveness.
“Let me first congratulate the NDDC for the work it has carried out for the people of the Niger Delta,” she said.
“If I’m a bit critical in my speech, you know me, I mean it for good, because I think you have done a lot, but you still have a lot to do.”
Tracing the Commission’s origin, she noted that the NDDC was established in 2000 under President Obasanjo as a successor to OMPADEC to address the pressing issues of marginalisation, underdevelopment, and the dire environmental impact of oil activities in the region.
“Oil and gas exploration, by its nature, often poses challenges to its environment in the form of pollution of land and waters. Gas flaring is another hazard that the people in the environment have had to deal with,” she said.
She warned that the Commission cannot afford to fail, considering the region’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s economy.
“As you well know, oil and gas account for 90 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange and 70 per cent of its fiscal revenue… The goose that lays the golden egg deserves attention in the form of infrastructure and social services…”
Highlighting the scale of environmental degradation, she stressed the critical need for the NDDC to deliver on its mandate of positively transforming the Niger Delta.
“The NDDC has a lofty goal of transforming the region. The NDDC is to offer a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta region,” she added.
Oil Spillage, Gas Flaring and Niger Delta’s Looming Ecological Disaster
The Niger Delta remains one of the most polluted regions in the world due to unchecked oil spills and gas flaring. Over the last five decades, the region has endured unprecedented environmental harm.
While the European Union recorded only 10 oil spill incidents in 40 years, Nigeria reported over 9,340 cases within a single decade.
According to experts, environmental degradation—stemming from oil spillage, river dredging, gas flaring, and land reclamation—costs the region approximately $758 million annually. Alarmingly, local communities bear 75% of this burden, facing polluted water sources, infertile farmland, and loss of biodiversity.
Researchers further warn that the Niger Delta could lose up to 40% of its habitable land in the next 30 years, primarily due to aggressive dam construction and unchecked ecological destruction.
