Nigeria, Oct. 20 -- Environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey has urged Nigerians to deny electoral support to politicians without concrete plans to clean up polluted communities and restore damaged ecosystems, warning that the country's emerging critical-minerals industry could repeat the environmental devastation caused by decades of oil extraction.

Mr Bassey, executive director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, said political candidates should be required to explain how they intend to address oil spills, gas flaring and environmental degradation before seeking votes.

"Any candidate that does not have concrete plans for the remediation and restoration of the deeply damaged environment should not be given a single vote by the electo...