‘Legal action is inevitable’

SIR: To a very large extent, it has become apparent that those in the corridor of power care less about the welfare and well-being of local residents of oil-bearing communities. This was exhibited in the recent on-the-spot visit of members of the House of Representatives to inspect the illegal bunkering vessel seized by the Tantita Security Service Limited owned by Nigeria-tagged ex-militant, Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo).

It is a slap on the face of indigenous residents and communities whose environments are affected via unprofessional operations by previous bombardment and burning of similar vessels (MT Deima, Mt Tura II, etc.), burning of thousands of acres of mangrove forests, and pollution of the soil, air, and waterways by same private security outfit in collaboration with the Military Joint Task Force/Special Task Force and NNPC Limited from August 2022 till date in the name of fighting illegal bunkering.

Actions which are widely publicised and owned up to with visually documented evidence by the authorities as mentioned earlier not minding that they obviously contradict Section 20 of the Nigeria Constitution as amended on one hand, and the international law of the sea and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) same Nigeria State is a signatory to respectively on the other hand.

After alarms were raised against such environmental degradation actions by the Tantita security, the Nigeria Joint Task Force/Special Task Force, and NNPC Limited through advocacy from concerned few lawyers such as Femi Falana, Omemiroro Maxwell Ogedegbe, etc., not leaving behind myself (with the use of digital media), the issue was brought to the floor of the National Assembly by the Representative of Warri Federal Constituency, Thomas Ereyitomi to halt further environmental degradation of such but never put into consideration the environmental hazard and economic lapses caused by these actions and inactions both on the local residents and communities along the Warri/Excravos/Forcados/Benin Rivers either in terms of compensation and environmental clear up.

As documented on pages 20 – 21, Vanguard Newspaper, Monday, 12th of February, 2024, Chairman of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Oil Theft/Losses, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, led others on the 9th of February, 2024: Committee members of Host Communities, Niger Delta Committee, Gas Resources Committee, Environmental Committee, Petroleum Upstream Committee, Petroleum Mainstream Committee, Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft, and Petroleum Trust Committee to inspect seized MT Harbor Spirit and MT Kali. Yet, non sees it fit to address this pending issue but instead, turned a blind eye like it never happened and only interested on the need for Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to ‘readily renew and expand the private company’s (Tantita) scope of the job.’

Abandoning the local residents and communities to their fate after all environmental degradation caused by the authorities is a sorry state they have found themselves in, even though being the bedrock of Nigeria’s economy both as host communities to crude natural resources, host communities to Nigeria’s blue economy and mangrove swamps, all which unfortunately are being indiscriminately destroyed in the line of discharging their duty.

At this point, as one who understands the ill-treatment and nonchalance of those in the pedestrian in decision-making towards local residents and communities in the creek of Niger Delta, I stand to be corrected that ‘Legal Action Is Inevitable’. There is no other option but to take a legal path to seek redress for these unfortunate happenings and abandonment by the same authorities who are supposed to protect the local residents/communities in the first place. Nonetheless, all are waiting for whom to bell the cat given the high profile of corporate entities and individuals involved.
Ojumude Tosan Bishop, ecological conservation and indigenous minority rights activist, wrote from Warri.