Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
A new environmental assessment conducted at the Rivers State University has issued a stark warning that several coastal communities in the Niger Delta could be completely submerged by 2070 if urgent action is not taken to address worsening environmental degradation and climate-induced threats in the region.
The report, compiled by a team of researchers in the university’s Faculty of Environmental Sciences, highlights alarming patterns of coastal erosion, flooding, and rising sea levels driven by decades of oil exploration, deforestation, gas flaring, and unchecked industrial activity. According to the findings, the combined impact of natural and human-induced factors is accelerating the sinking of many low-lying areas in the oil-rich region.
Researchers noted that the Niger Delta, already one of the most vulnerable deltas in the world, is experiencing rapid land loss as communities along the Atlantic coastline continue to battle tidal surges, saltwater intrusion, and shoreline recession. The study projects that without immediate intervention, some towns and fishing settlements could disappear entirely within the next five decades.
Experts involved in the assessment warned that climate change is intensifying the challenges, adding that the global rise in sea levels poses a long-term existential threat to the region. They stressed that communities in Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Ondo, and Akwa Ibom states are particularly at risk, with thousands of residents facing potential displacement.
The researchers also pointed to persistent oil spills and industrial pollution as major contributors to the environmental crisis. These factors, they said, have weakened natural buffers such as mangroves, wetlands, and riverbanks, reducing the region’s capacity to withstand climate impacts.
The report called for aggressive policy intervention, including shoreline protection, restoration of mangrove forests, controlled urban expansion, and stronger environmental regulations for oil companies operating in the region. It also urged the federal and state governments to create long-term adaptation plans to safeguard at-risk communities and prevent what could become one of Nigeria’s largest displacement crises.
Environmental activists and stakeholders in the Niger Delta have echoed the university’s concerns, warning that the findings should not be ignored. They emphasized that failure to act promptly would have devastating economic, humanitarian, and cultural consequences, especially for indigenous communities that rely heavily on fisheries and riverine activities for survival.
The study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that the Niger Delta faces a critical environmental emergency—one that requires urgent, coordinated action to avert irreversible damage in the coming decades.
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