Community along the coast of the Niger Delta who are on the verge of been wash 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 the Bayelsa State capital, weekend during a ‘National Community Dialogue on Fossil Fuel Exploitation and Sea Level Rise (SLR) in Nigeria’ organized by Oilwatch Nigeria.

The communities lamented that they have suffered loss of sources of livelihoods, displacement of indigenes and acidification of fresher waters, a situation they said has affected sources of 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 riseL, 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 Nigerian government, the 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, the Coordinator, Oilwatch Nigeria, Kentebe Ebiaridor, said it is fact that the impact of climate change is real and is gradually erasing Niger Delta communities in the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean, adding that it is 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 hear from the communities and also use it as a platform to advocate for government attention towards putting their eyes in frontline communities and most importantly trying to reduce the impact of climate change on our communities because they are the ones suffering the impacts.”

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Also in his remarks, Mr. Alagoa Morris, the 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 to stand firmly against all activities that will cause mother earth to retaliate against human actions.

In a communique issued, the stakeholders noted that desertification, sea level rise and coastal erosion are some of the causes of resource conflicts and disputes being experienced in the country, such that the natural forest and land resources of the Niger Delta are gradually disappearing based on the effects of oil and gas activities, government inaction, sea level rise, and deforestation.

Parts of the communique reads: “Many Niger Delta communities have been washed off and many others are at the verge of being washed off. A practical example is that of Koluama Community in Bayelsa State that was wiped out some years ago. This made the community to migrate to two separate locations which gave birth to the present day Kolauma 1 & 2 and in the nearest future, both communities will go under the sea.

“Niger Delta communities thought the coming of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was the solution to the problems of oil-bearing communities, but it is not only a threat to the lives of the people and the environment and it is also worsening the existing impacts in the region.

“Government should provide drinking water to coastal communities to combat increased salinity in freshwater sources due to sea level rise and ensure that emergency preparedness measures and databases to cope with increased climatic disasters such as floods and ocean encroachments are made available to the people.

“All environmental laws should be strengthened to address the several environmental challenges confronting communities as a result of fossil fuel extractions mankind in our respective states.

“Governments should make use of the ecological funds to address issues of sea level rise.”

VANGUARD