An environmental organisation, Peer Foundation, has opposed plans to determine a naval base in the disputed Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve in Akwa Ibom State, warning that the undertaking may deepen environmental degradation and heighten tensions with host communities.
The organisation, in an announcement signed by its Executive Director, Mfon Gabriel, on Monday, demanded that Akwa Ibom and federal governments reverse the choice and halt industrial actions inside the reserve.
The proposed naval base was introduced by the state authorities as a part of efforts to strengthen safety alongside the shoreline and defend essential oil and fuel infrastructure.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Waterways, Koko Essien, disclosed the plan throughout a ministerial briefing in Uyo, in response to media reports.
Peer Foundation argued that establishing a army facility in the reserve with out satisfactory session with affected communities may undermine their livelihoods, entry to ancestral lands and environmental rights.
The organisation alleged that the proposal was a part of a sample of utilizing safety infrastructure to facilitate industrial actions in the forest, together with petroleum-related initiatives.
It additionally known as for the withdrawal of what it described as “destructive” refinery plans and the graduation of a community-led forest restoration programme.
Forest beneath strain
The dispute over the proposed naval base happens amid longstanding issues in regards to the destruction of Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, which spans elements of Eket, Esit Eket, Ibeno and Mbo native authorities areas.
In a November 2025 report, PREMIUM TIMES documented how highway development and the BUA refinery undertaking contributed to the lack of forest cowl and raised issues about the way forward for the reserve.
The report, titled “How refinery and highway project wiped out Akwa Ibom’s Stubbs Creek Forest,” additionally examined questions surrounding compliance with the authorized procedures for eradicating protected forest land from reserve standing.
Another PREMIUM TIMES report, revealed in 2026, examined the environmental dangers related to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s proposed route by the reserve.
The report cited a research that estimated the local weather harm related to emissions from the proposed freeway route at about N785 billion, highlighting the potential price of additional disturbance to the forest.
The reserve is a vital ecological habitat, supporting wildlife and offering sources for communities that depend upon the forest for his or her livelihoods. Most importantly, the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve serves as a buffer between Akwa Ibom land and the Atlantic Ocean.
‘Community engagement should precede announcement’
Peer Foundation mentioned the federal government didn’t get hold of the free, prior and knowledgeable consent of indigenous communities earlier than asserting the proposed naval base.
It argued that choices affecting the forest shouldn’t be made with out involving residents whose livelihoods, cultural heritage and entry to pure sources may very well be affected.
The organisation additionally warned that introducing a army set up with out satisfactory neighborhood engagement may generate distrust and tensions between residents and safety personnel.
It mentioned the presence of a naval base close to petroleum infrastructure may additionally elevate issues about whether or not safety operations would prioritise the safety of company belongings over the rights and welfare of host communities.
“National security cannot exist at the expense of ecological survival,” the organisation mentioned.
It described Stubbs Creek as a significant carbon sink and pure barrier in opposition to coastal erosion, warning that clearing extra forest for infrastructure may worsen environmental harm.
The group additionally mentioned the forest gives medicinal sources and helps native livelihoods, together with actions tied to the world’s pure sources.
READ ALSO: CSOs identify stigma, poor facilities as barriers to HIV, TB, malaria treatment in Akwa Ibom
Dispute over the reserve
The proposed naval base provides one other dimension to the longstanding dispute over the administration, possession and improvement of Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve.
The Akwa Ibom State Government has beforehand rejected claims that the forest belongs completely to the Ekid individuals, arguing that the reserve is run by the state beneath relevant legal guidelines.
In a report revealed in January 2026, PREMIUM TIMES examined leaked authorities memoranda that appeared to assist the Ekid individuals’s claims to elements of the reserve.
The dispute has additionally centred on whether or not the related authorized procedures for altering the standing of protected parts of the forest had been adopted earlier than improvement initiatives had been undertaken.
Peer Foundation known as on the state and federal governments to prioritise ecological restoration, environmental accountability and neighborhood participation over additional industrial improvement in the reserve.
The organisation mentioned it could pursue its opposition by authorized and peaceable means.
The Akwa Ibom State Government mentioned it desires the naval base to enhance safety alongside the shoreline and defend strategic infrastructure. However, additional particulars on the proposed facility’s implementation, its exact location, and the environmental safeguards to be utilized weren’t supplied in the accessible announcement.
Discover extra from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the newest posts despatched to your e mail.
