Stakeholders drawn from oil extraction-impacted communities across the Niger Delta, the civil society community and academia, at the weekend in Benin under the auspices of Climate Justice Assembly, have demanded an end to gas flaring in the region and a total reform of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Themed: Climate Justice Assembly: Yasunize & Ogonize the World for Socio-Ecological Wellbeing, the Assembly, convened by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), also demanded full environmental audit and clean-up of Ogoniland and other impacted communities across the Niger Delta region, and the fixing of the Petroleum Industry Act, lamenting that “the PIA fails our region, permits gas flaring, and unfairly blames communities for pipeline protection.”
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director, HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, noted that “Climate Justice is critical to our existence,” adding, “we are bringing together the history of many struggles around the world.”
Bassey said the struggle and campaign for environmental justice were “inspired by the struggles of the Ogoni people in Nigeria, who had faced decades of environmental devastation and halted oil extraction in their territory in 1993, and the struggle of the people of Ecuador to stop oil extraction at Yasuní-ITT, one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. The people of Ecuador voted massively against crude oil extraction at Yasuni ITT in a national referendum in August 2023.”
On his part, the Executive Director of Miideko Environmental Development Foundation Initiative, Celestine Akpobari, who is an Ogoni man, urged the people to expose those carrying out environmental degradation, adding, “If you see anyone destroying our environment and keep silent, you are an accomplice.”
In his goodwill message, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Edo State, Dr Osagie Obayuwana, urged the people not to burn the planet, just as he warned: “We are all threatened; every one of us is at risk.”
Dr Ofuani Sokolo from the Faculty of Law, University of Benin, who spoke on Gender Climate Change and Community Mobilisation, said: “Women should not just be considered as an afterthought but as an integral part to address the climate crisis,” adding: “we must reassess our existing climate policies to ensure that gender is adequately included, considered and integrated in climate policies.”
In related development, a group, Isoko Grassroots Mobilisers Stakeholders in Isoko land, has, in a statement, signed by Erere Okpako Angela Akpofa, threatened to shut down oil operations in their land.
They lamented that nearly two years after the inauguration of AIO Host Community Development Trust (AIO HCDT) as mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021, nothing had happened.
“By the Act, Oil companies are expected to channel three per cent of their Operating Expenditure (OPEX) to the HCDTs for the development of the host communities.
“Of these funds, 75 per cent is earmarked for infrastructure development, while 20 per cent and five per cent are for investment and administrative purposes respectively. But as we write this, even the five per cent that is to enable a proper take-off has not been released, let alone those for infrastructure and reserve.”
The communities called for a review of any relationship that exists between them and the oil companies, particularly the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) operators of OML 26 and the new players, Sterling Global, saying that unless something urgent was done, operations and activities of these companies may not be guaranteed.
