By Godwin Chukwumaechi
The Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) has demanded that as international oil companies (IOCs) are divesting from their onshore investments, in preference for deep offshore, government and other stakeholders should demand environmental accountability for their decades of operations in the Niger Delta.
Decades of operations by the oil multi-nationals have left vast portions of the Niger Delta environment highly polluted and dangerous to life, even as most of them are hastily selling off their onshore facilities to mostly smaller indigenous operators without clear indications of plans for remediation of the environment.
CERHD at a media parley in Port Harcourt therefore, raised the alarm that environmental concerns by host communities were not being discussed as part of the divestment deals by international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region, and are further seeking the support of media practitioners to ensure environmental accountability in the ongoing divestment deals.
Coordinator of CEHRD, Dr Nabie Nubari Francis, speaking on the sidelines of the parley with the media, with the theme ‘Divestments and Environmental Accountability, The Role of the Media’, noted that host communities over the years have been undermined by IOCs.
“The Niger Delta environment has been so polluted and devastated, there has been loss of livelihoods and the health of the people have been undermined, yet, there has not been any corresponding remedy to these problems”.
Francis noted that the research results from the oilfields across the Niger Delta indicated that the oil bearing host communities were being left out of the divestment dialogue.
He said; “The IOCs who are behind these woes are now divesting, but the question is, what about the health, degraded environemnt? Has there been any pre-divestment assessment? Who is buying? What about the equipment integrity? Have the communities been consulted?
“What they call divestment is actually a criminal flight. The company buying the Shell facility is championed by a former managing director of Shell.
“The communities must be carried along, because they are the affected people. There must be a thorough pre-divestment assessment, environmental, livelihoods and health audit.
“We are only saying that Shell shouldn’t divest without consulting the people and in consulting people, the communities must be made to understand the impact, so Shell should rise to the occasion and take responsibility of the negative impact.
“The government should play their role because their primary responsibility is to protect lives and properties and not to partner with Shell to further destroy the environment. The government should x-ray the divestment process and facilitate a process that will benefit the people, until then the process should be put on halt”.
In her remarks CEHRD’s Board member, Chief Constance Meju, urged the media to champion the cause of making sure that the oil and gas companies complied with best practices before divesting.
“We want you people to help us champion the cause of the communities that you have been championing over the years and for the fact that we are actually looking at those who are voiceless today, we know that with you, their voices will be heard.
“We are hoping that with the interaction today, the issue of divestment will adequately be looked into and we are hoping that citizens will have respite in the shortest possible time.
“Divestment has laid down principles regarding the sale of assets but that of Petroleum Industry in Nigeria, there seems to be no clear cut policy on that aspect. What is being used right now is a model not specifically suits to the oil and gas industry.
“And that is why as an NGO, we are calling on the movement to please take particular note of the peculiarity of the oil and gas industry and not treat their divestment as any other divestment”, Chief Meju said.
