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 challenge may deepen environmental degradation and heighten tensions with host communities.
The organisation, in a press release signed by its Executive Director, Mfon Gabriel, on Monday, demanded that Akwa Ibom and federal governments reverse the choice and halt industrial actions throughout the reserve.
The proposed naval base was introduced by the state authorities as a part of efforts to strengthen safety alongside the shoreline and shield crucial oil and fuel infrastructure.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Waterways, Koko Essien, disclosed the plan throughout a ministerial briefing in Uyo, in accordance with media reports.
Peer Foundation argued that establishing a navy facility in the reserve with out ample 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 business 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 below stress
The dispute over the proposed naval base happens amid longstanding considerations concerning the destruction of Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, which spans components 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 challenge contributed to the lack of forest cowl and raised considerations 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, printed in 2026, examined the environmental dangers related to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s proposed route by means of 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 value of additional disturbance to the forest.
The reserve is a crucial ecological habitat, supporting wildlife and offering assets for communities that rely 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 stated the federal government didn’t acquire 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 assets might be affected.
The organisation additionally warned that introducing a navy set up with out ample group engagement may generate distrust and tensions between residents and safety personnel.
It stated the presence of a naval base close to petroleum infrastructure may additionally increase considerations about whether or not safety operations would prioritise the safety of company property over the rights and welfare of host communities.
“National security cannot exist at the expense of ecological survival,” the organisation stated.
It described Stubbs Creek as a significant carbon sink and pure barrier towards coastal erosion, warning that clearing extra forest for infrastructure may worsen environmental harm.
The group additionally stated the forest supplies medicinal assets and helps native livelihoods, together with actions tied to the realm’s pure assets.
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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 solely to the Ekid individuals, arguing that the reserve is run by the state below relevant legal guidelines.
In a report printed in January 2026, PREMIUM TIMES examined leaked authorities memoranda that appeared to help the Ekid individuals’s claims to components 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 have been adopted earlier than improvement initiatives have been undertaken.
Peer Foundation known as on the state and federal governments to prioritise ecological restoration, environmental accountability and group participation over additional industrial improvement in the reserve.
The organisation stated it could pursue its opposition by means of authorized and peaceable means.
The Akwa Ibom State Government stated it desires the naval base to enhance safety alongside the shoreline and shield 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 obtainable announcement.
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