By Foster Akpore, Ughelli
Government College, Ughelli, was the setting on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, as the Ejiro & Otive Igbuzor Foundation formally presented Flames of Injustice: Health and Environmental Costs of Gas Flaring in Ughelli North. The book, supported by the Global Greengrants Fund, documents the devastating toll of decades of unchecked gas flaring on the people, environment, and economy of oil-producing communities in Delta State.
The unveiling followed a research and sensitization workshop on gas flaring in Ughelli North, held on April 11, 2025, at the Post Graduate Boardroom of Delta State University, Abraka. That gathering of academics, civil society groups, the press, and community organizations validated the findings that now form the core of the book.
In his welcome address, the Foundation’s Executive Director, Mr. Monday Osasah, FSM, described the publication as both “a knowledge-driven platform” and a call to action. He explained that the Foundation, established to promote community development, education, and women’s empowerment, initiated the project to expose the environmental, health, and social consequences of gas flaring.
The volume, edited by Dr. Otive Igbuzor and Mr. Osasah, is structured into three chapters and two appendices:
Chapter 1: Survey of Gas Flaring in Ughelli North LGA by Prof. Sunny Awhefeada
Chapter 2: Gas Flaring in Ughelli North LGA: Consequences and Remedies by Prof. Emmanuel Ndakara
Chapter 3: Health Effects of Gas Flaring by Dr. M. I. Ntaji
Appendix 1: Goodwill Message from the Ministry of Oil and Gas, Delta State
Appendix 2: Goodwill Message from the Ministry of Environment, Delta State
“The effects of gas flaring are extensive, from acid rain damaging crops and infrastructure to air pollution worsening health problems. Through collaboration, we can build a more just and sustainable future for everyone,” Osasah said, urging government officials, civil society groups, industry representatives, and host community leaders to adopt the findings as a basis for advocacy and policy change.
Professor Sunny Awhefeada, who reviewed the book, emphasized the importance of documentation in a struggle often defined by protests and silence. “On the subject of oil and gas exploration and its effect on our environment, there have been protests and other forms of engagement. However, I do not think there has been any serious attempt to intellectualize this phenomenon as we are doing here today,” he said.
He described the unveiling as “epoch-making,” stressing that the book has the potential to reach global institutions such as the United Nations and UNEP. Drawing from field research across Ughelli North’s oil-bearing clans—Evwreni, Ogor, Orogun, Uwheru, Agbarha-Otor, and Ughelli—Prof. Awhefeada cited evidence of acid rain, crop failures, soil infertility, and rising health crises, including birth defects, respiratory ailments, and cardiovascular disease.
“Gas flaring has persisted for more than sixty years. Why? It is not for lack of laws or international agreements. It is because, in Nigeria, laws are often observed in the breach,” he said, calling for civic awakening and sustained advocacy.
Goodwill messages underscored the urgency of the crisis. Barrister Dennis Warri, representing Chief Barr. E. T. Opone, President General of Orogun Kingdom, spoke bluntly about government inaction. “We pet the oil company as if the extant environmental laws are not enforceable. Even a peaceful protest can be misinterpreted as economic sabotage. But for how long can a feverish bird keep trembling before its keeper? How long can we continue to wait before humanity is degraded?” he asked.
Ms. Neferti Ayo, Executive Director of Neferok Development Initiative, challenged community leaders to speak more openly about the health and environmental toll. “If leaders are silent, or if they refuse to tell the story as it is, then we have a serious problem. Women especially bear the brunt—our children, our husbands, our lands are all affected,” she warned.
Mr. Egedegbe Edewor of VREI pointed to ignorance as one of the region’s greatest obstacles. “Our problem in the Niger Delta is a strong knowledge gap. We think we know so much, but in truth, we do not know enough. This book provides empirical evidence and gives us a new starting point for constructive engagement.”
Beyond the formal presentations, the discussion also turned to next steps. Prof. Awhefeada urged that the campaign must not stop at the unveiling of the book. He called for pressing lawmakers to act, for integrating environmental education into school curricula, and for taking sensitization campaigns to rural communities directly affected by oil activities. “The air we breathe is no longer clean. We must compel our leaders to do what is right. Let us carry a charter of demands to political office holders and hold them accountable,” he said, warning that without sustained civic pressure, agencies such as NUPRC and NESREA will continue to shirk enforcement.
Mr. Osasah outlined practical measures under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which requires oil companies to contribute three percent of their annual operating expenditure to Host Community Development Trusts. He explained that communities must ensure their Trusts are set up with functioning boards and accounts, noting how some areas such as Ubogo in Udu have already turned their Development Plan into revenue-generating projects, while places like Orogun have yet to benefit. “We cannot simply point fingers at government while our own people remain complicit,” he said, stressing the role of active citizenship in monitoring funds, questioning trustees, and engaging the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) when oil companies default.
Osasah further urged CSOs that Flames of Injustice be translated into simpler formats—infographics, visuals, and local sensitization tools—to bridge the knowledge gap and help people understand the health dangers of gas flaring. He emphasized the need to engage agencies like the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the National Council on Climate Change, and HYPREP, while also pushing for grassroots sensitization through town halls, local councils, and women’s associations.
Moderated by Dr. Alex Unukpo, the event concluded with a formal unveiling of Flames of Injustice and a collective call to transform the knowledge it provides into concrete action—through policy engagement, civic mobilization, and community accountability.
“This is not just a book for Ughelli North,” Prof. Awhefeada concluded. “It is a book for humanity. It addresses the human condition, our future, and the fate of generations yet unborn.”