Environmental degradation in the Niger Delta has led to significant ecological, socio-economic and cultural challenges, yet limited attention has been given to how indigenous communities communicate ecological identity and respond to anthropocentric development narratives. This study, therefore, examined the eco-cultural communication identity and the anthropocentric avoidance gesture in relation to communication, culture, and environmental sustainability. Anchored on Development Communication Theory and Political Ecology Theory, the study adopted a qualitative interpretive approach. Twenty-four participants, including traditional rulers, community elders, youth leaders, women leaders, fishermen, farmers, environmental activists, journalists and Community Development Committee representatives where selected through a critical case, a purposive sampling technique chosen from oil-producing communities in Rivers State, and participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were examined using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Findings showed that ecological spaces were central to indigenous identity, collective memory, and livelihoods, while environmental degradation has weakened indigenous ecological knowledge, disrupted traditional communication systems, and reinforced anthropocentric institutional narratives that prioritise economic interests over ecological sustainability. The study concludes that sustainable environmental governance requires an eco-cultural communication framework that promotes participatory dialogue, indigenous knowledge integration, and inclusive decision-making. It contributes to environmental communication scholarship by extending eco-cultural communication identity and the anthropocentric avoidance gesture within the African context.
WODU, A. O., & EZE, G. O. M. (2026). Eco-Cultural Communication Identity and the Anthropocentric Avoidance Gesture in the Niger Delta. British Journal of Advanced Research, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.68263/BJAR-YUUVKMRJ
MLA
WODU, Adindu Obinuchi, and George Ogazi Mani EZE. "Eco-Cultural Communication Identity and the Anthropocentric Avoidance Gesture in the Niger Delta." British Journal of Advanced Research, vol. 1, no. 3, 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.68263/BJAR-YUUVKMRJ
Chicago
WODU, Adindu Obinuchi, and George Ogazi Mani EZE. "Eco-Cultural Communication Identity and the Anthropocentric Avoidance Gesture in the Niger Delta." British Journal of Advanced Research 1, no. 3 (2026). https://doi.org/10.68263/BJAR-YUUVKMRJ
References
Blaikie, P., & Brookfield, H. (1987). Land degradation and society. Methuen.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Castro-Sotomayor, J. (2026). The anthropocentric avoidance gesture and environmental communication: Rethinking human–nature relations in ecological discourse. Routledge.
Cox, R. (2023). Environmental communication and the public sphere (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Efetobore, E. A., & Tam, D. S. (2025). The role of environmental communication in promoting sustainable development in the Niger Delta. DELSU Journal of Niger Delta Studies, 1(2), 272–288. https://gagdm.com/index.php/DELSUJNDSABRAKA/article/view/969
EZE, G. O. M.; ONYESO, P. I. N., NWINEEWII, D., (2025). Rich Nation, Poor Region: Socioeconomic Implications of Resource Exploitation in the Niger Delta. SIAR - Global Journal of Humanities, Management & Educational Review, 1(2), 48-60.
Guanah, J. S., Bebenimibo, P., & Msughter, A. E. (2026). Environmental communication and sustainable environment practice: A study of Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria. Fuel Communications, 27, Article 100157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfueco.2026.100157
Hannouch, B., & Milstein, T. (2025). Activating ecocentrism: How young women environmental activists produce identity on Instagram. Environmental Communication, 19(2), 198–217.
Idemudia, U. (2009). Oil extraction and poverty reduction in the Niger Delta: A critical examination of partnership initiatives. Journal of Business Ethics, 90(1), 91–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9916-8
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
Milstein, T., & Castro-Sotomayor, J. (Eds.). (2024). Routledge handbook of ecocultural identity and environmental communication. Routledge.
Obi, C. I. (2010). Oil extraction, dispossession, resistance and conflict in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta. Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 30(1–2), 219–236.
Onyejelem, T. E. (2025). Understanding child-centred climate action for environmental communication in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. International Journal of Advanced Technology and Social Sciences, 3(7), 1005–1022.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Pezzullo, P. C., & Cox, R. (2021). Environmental communication and the public sphere (6th ed.). Sage Publications.
Quebral, N. C. (1971). Development communication in the agricultural context. College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Banos.
Robbins, P. (2020). Political ecology: A critical introduction (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2020). Handbook of communication for development and social change. Springer.
Udoh, I. A., & Willard, B. (2023). Community-based social marketing: A supplemental approach to improve environmental attitudes and environmental health in Nigeria. Environmental Communication, 17(2), 119–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2023.2175005
United Nations Development Programme. (2006). Niger Delta human development report. UNDP.
United Nations Environment Programme. (2011). Environmental assessment of Ogoniland. UNEP.
Watts, M. (2008). Imperial oil: The anatomy of a Nigerian oil insurgency. Erdkunde, 62(1), 27–38. https://www.erdkunde.uni-bonn.de/article/view/2601
World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future. Oxford University Press.
