The Governor of Bayelsa state, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, in a commanding display of leadership, has issued an urgent call to world leaders and stakeholders at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), warning that coastal communities are running out of time as ocean rise threatens to erase them from the map.
Speaking at the Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Summit, a high-level prelude to the UNOC3, Governor Diri didn’t mince words. He demanded a radical shift toward collaborative governance to confront the escalating threats of sea-level rise, climate change, and coastal erosion, which have left vast swathes of Bayelsa and the Niger Delta on the brink of catastrophe.
“As a state bordering the Atlantic Ocean, our communities face existential threats,” Diri declared in a packed session titled “Multi-Level Governance of Coastal Cities and Regions.”
“This is a crucial moment; we must prioritize cooperative efforts over competition in tackling these challenges.”
Bayelsa, where nearly 70% of the landmass is waterlogged, is ground zero for climate-induced disasters in Nigeria.
Governor Diri spotlighted the state’s bold environmental initiatives, including the creation of Nigeria’s first sub-national Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in 2024, a move that positioned Bayelsa as a national climate governance pioneer.
“We are promoting mangrove restoration as part of our environmental strategies,” Diri added.
“But we cannot do this alone. We need global solidarity and access to international climate financing.”
Diri stressed the need for a restructured funding model that allows sub-national governments direct access to climate funds, bypassing bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Local governments are on the frontlines, but international support often stops at the national level. That must change,” he asserted.
Co-hosted by the governments of France and Costa Rica, the summit drew a formidable mix of policymakers, environmentalists, scientists, and international donors.
Diri’s powerful intervention resonated deeply, as many in the audience acknowledged the urgency of amplifying vulnerable voices in the global climate conversation.
Governor Diri’s message was clear and uncompromising:
“The ocean is rising and so must our collective responsibility. Anything less is betrayal.”
With global attention shifting toward coastal resilience and blue economy solutions, Diri’s advocacy has firmly placed Bayelsa and the Niger Delta on the frontline of international climate diplomacy.
