A group of Environmental rights advocates and civil society organisations have raised the alarm over the deteriorating air quality in the Niger Delta.

They declared that every resident in Port Harcourt and surrounding areas is “involuntarily smoking” due to unchecked pollution from fossil fuel activities.

They stated this during a stakeholders’ consultation forum organised by the Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI) in Port Harcourt on Friday.

Executive Director of MAJI, Mr. Okoro Emmanuel Onyekachi, said the organisation is working to collect and analyze pollution data across rural and urban communities to develop a baseline document that will serve as a foundation for policy advocacy and capacity building.

Onyekachi said the forum was put together to strengthening the use of environmental data to advance climate justice in Nigeria.

He stated, “If change must be tracked, you must understand baseline. We plan to collect all the data we can and use it to develop a baseline document. The findings will guide technical training, interactive sessions, and environmental governance reforms.”

Onyekachi emphasized that residents in Rivers State are living with severe consequences of fossil fuel pollution.

“In fact, everyone living in Port Harcourt should be worried about the air quality because we all are smokers in Rivers State, We live with the impacts of fossil fuel from production, artisanal refining, gas flaring, vehicular movement, and machinery — a multiplicity of impacts.” he warned.

He described pollution patterns as varying between rural and urban areas, saying, “In rural areas, pollution levels differ. Some places have high levels due to oil activities; others have moderate exposure.

“But in urban areas, pollution is consistent due to increased vehicular traffic and machinery powered by fossil fuels.”

The MAJI Executive Director therefore called on government and health authorities to act.

“It’s a call for the health sector to start speaking to key contributors to pollution — industries, companies, etc. The government must use available data to develop and enforce policies, block gaps, and protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens they swore to defend,” he said.

On his part, an activist and participant at the forum, Mr. Steve Obodoekwe, noted that while communities often focus on land and water pollution, air pollution remains the most dangerous and neglected threat.

“We hardly talk about air quality. It’s one of the silent killers that many are not aware of, because it causes internal problems you don’t immediately see,” he stated.

Obodoekwe praised MAJI’s efforts to shed light on air pollution in the Niger Delta.

“MAJI has done a great job by focusing on air quality in the Niger Delta and Rivers State. People think the black soot is the only danger, but there are other invisible toxins making the air we breathe dangerous,” he stated.

Obodo urged more robust public engagement and media participation in the fight against environmental degradation, saying, “The media must help amplify these findings and push for stronger accountability. Our environment is sick, and so are we — slowly, quietly, but surely.”

Our correspondent who covered the event reports that the forum brought together stakeholders from civil society, the media, and government agencies to deliberate on how accurate environmental data can improve climate action and policy effectiveness across Nigeria, particularly in oil-bearing regions. (The PUNCH)