Niger Delta stakeholders urge FG to reject oil firms’ divestment plan

Niger Delta stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to reject the divestment plan and sale of onshore facilities by Shell and other International Oil Companies (IOCs) until community concerns are addressed, including environmental challenges and livelihood losses created in the region.

At the 2004 Peoples Annual General Meeting (AGM) convened by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), 45 participants drawn from the leadership of key civil society organisations in the Niger Delta, including representatives of women, youth, and religious groups from host communities, resolved to engage the Federal Government and oil companies to ensure a responsible divestment process that would reflect concerns of the people.

They wondered why there was a renewed call for the restoration of oil exploration in Ogoni since the living conditions in host communities, where oil productions are ongoing have not improved.

The stakeholders also noted that the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report have not been fully implemented, expressing concerns over the slow pace of activities regarding the cleanup of Ogoni land by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP). They also stressed the lack of performance of many contractors handling the remediation sites since it was handed over to them on April 27, 2023, despite collecting 30 per cent of their contract fee.

MEANWHILE, activists and community members, yesterday, gathered in front of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Head Office in Marina, Lagos Island, calling the government’s attention to environmental degradation in the country, as the oil multinational was holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in London, United Kingdom (UK).

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) led the protest.

The protesters, through their placards and comments, insisted that Shell should not divest without, first, cleaning up the region.

Since 1950, CAPPA and HOMEF noted, Shell has dominated the Nigerian extractive industry, and its operations have had severe consequences, including climate change, regulatory infractions, and environmental injustice.