Environmental Literacy Education as Enablement for Grassroots Communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region to Sustain Their Livelihoods

Abstract

Located within the wetlands and estuaries of the River Niger, Grassroots Communities of Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region engage mainly in fishing and farming as their livelihoods. Unfortunately, the discovery of oil and gas (fossil fuels) within the location of the communities in the mid-1950s and subsequent protracted exploration and processing of these commodities by Multinational Oil Companies have brought about severe pollution of both the aquatic and terrestrial resources on which the grassroots communities depend for their livelihoods. Efforts to alleviate the resultant impoverishment of the communities by agencies of government and the oil companies have been generally superficial as they lack the involvement of the community members who, on the other hand, do not have the necessary levels of education, awareness and capacity to initiate or demand their participation in the processes that would enable them to sustain their livelihoods and reduce their impoverishment. The grassroots communities certainly need appropriate education programme(s) to empower them with knowledge, skills and awareness that would equip them with capacity for inclusiveness and participation in, as well as to demand for sustainable development programmes/projects for their environment and livelihoods. The purpose of this paper is to unfold the capacity of Environmental Literacy Education (ELE) to achieve these communal needs. The paper also goes further to specify and discuss modalities for actualizing the unfolded capacity of ELE to mobilize the Niger Delta Grassroots Communities towards sustaining their livelihoods.

Keywords: Environmental Literacy Education, Grassroots Communities, Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region, Livelihoods, Environmental Pollution.

DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/90-04

Publication date: January 31^st 2023