Adibe Emenyonu
Representatives and leaders of the Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (AFAN) who are victims of the Shell Bonga Oil Spill of 2011, yesterday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on multinational oil giants in the region to put an end to the environmental degradation and pollution in the Niger Delta.
The representatives of AFAN from the five Niger Delta States namely, Ondo, Eso, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa-Ibom, while speaking at a press conference in Benin City, Edo State, also lamented that the continuous effect of the activities of the oil companies have not only destroyed their main source of livelihood, but also posed a serious health hazards to the people.
Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria and winner of the 2022 Goldman Environment Prize for Africa, Chima Williams, in a letter to Buhari on behalf of the group acknowledged what he described as the positive steps of the president in environmental protection and preservation over the years.
Chima recalled that in 2016, Buhari while addressing the opening meeting on ‘Taking Climate Action for Sustainable Development,’ in New York, co-hosted by Nigeria and the United Nation’s Environment Programme (UNEP), had signed the Paris Agreement, where he had committed Nigeria to reducing, “Green House Gas Emissions Unconditionally by 20 Per cent.”
According to him, the president had also in 2017 adopted the “Economic Recovery and Growth Plan which among others stated the position of Nigeria government on how to raise resources from the otherwise wasted associated gas through flaring by petroleum industry players to further reduce the hazardous impacts of gas flaring and increase revenue base for the nation.
Chima further noted that in 2018 – 2021, the Buhari-led government enacted the “Flare Gas (Prevention of Waste and Pollution) policy prohibiting gas flaring, signing into law the “Nigerian Climate Change Act,” which provides the strategic focus of the country in combating climate change; a development he said showed the seriousness of the present administration in reducing green house emissions and combating climate change which is one of the key drivers of environmental degradation and harvoc in Nigeria.
He said though some of the positive steps had given the assurance of the administration’s zeal to address issues of environmental degradation, pollution and climate, more efforts were needed to fastrack the issues arising from these laws.
The Executive Director of ERA/FoRN, therefore, appealed to the president to ensure that petroleum extractive companies are compelled to live up to their responsibility of restoring the Nigerian Environment and paying compensation to victims of their operations.
“Mr President, I want to use this medium to appeal to you to use your good offices and as a caring father to bring all the parties together including all the petroleum extractive companies, such as Shell, Exxon Mobil , Nigerian Agip Oil Company and Total Energy and the victims of their operations, relevant government agencies and authorities to discuss workable solutions to the environmental despoliation arising from their operational methodologies in the country.
“A situation where we currently have the multinational oil companies running away from their responsibilities of restoring the Nigerian environment the way it was before their extractive adventures and restituting citizens whose livelihoods pattern have been either distorted or dislodged by the dislocation of their societal fabrics in the name of divestment should also be addressed and discouraged untill the needful is done.
“I believe that as a listening father, you will bring succour to the downtrodden masses of Nigerians especially the Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria members, who are majorly victims of the Shell Bonga Oil Spill of 2011 before your administration winds up.”
