Nnimmo Bassey, director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), says Bayelsa is one of Nigeria’s most polluted states, given the hydrocarbon extraction associated with the oil and gas industry.
Mr Bassey, a renowned environmentalist, stated this during a one-day capacity-sharing programme with the people of Nembe on Thursday in the Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
According to him, Bayelsa is one of the most polluted states in Nigeria and possibly in the world.
He said the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report, published in May 2023, recorded a per capita oil pollution level of 1.5 barrels of crude oil per person.
Mr Bassey also cited the environmental assessment of Ogoniland conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as evidence of the devastating impact of oil pollution in the Niger Delta.
