Blessing Ibunge in Port HarcourtGovernment authorities, policymakers, educators, and environmental stakeholders have been urged to embrace environmental education (EE) as the fourth pillar of ecological governance, to tackle Nigeria’s worsening environmental challenges. Speaking on the theme: ‘Environmental Education as a Strategic Response to Nigeria’s Environmental Polycrisis: Stakeholder Responsibilities, Delivery Approaches and a Roadmap for Ecological Governance’, Ogon argued that environmental laws and enforcement alone cannot reverse the country’s ecological decline without a corresponding shift in public knowledge, values, and leadership orientation. “At the centre of this rather complex and disturbing environmental crisis we face today is leadership. He unveiled the proposed Port Harcourt Framework for Environmental Education and Ecological Governance, which advocates a National Environmental Education Policy (2026–2035), stronger collaboration among environmental agencies, community-based learning and expanded university research on mangrove restoration, flood management and the Niger Delta’s blue economy. “Investing in environmental education is not an academic exercise; it is an investment in healthier environments, stronger institutions, resilient communities and a sustainable national future,” he said.