The concerns were raised during a summit in Ntak Inyang, Esit Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, as Nigeria joined the global community to mark the 2026 World Earth Day.
Participants lamented that decades of oil exploration activities by indigenous and international oil companies have led to widespread environmental degradation, severely affecting livelihoods and public health. They linked persistent gas pollution and oil spills to rising cases of cancer, blindness and other airborne diseases in host communities.
