•Calls Ogoni cleanup programme failed project, urges FG to address compensation issue in region
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
An environmental and peace advocacy group, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), has said it will resist the exit of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), from the Niger Delta, following its announcement to sell off its operations in Nigeria’s onshore oil and gas sector to a consortium of Nigerian companies, without clean up of the environment and payment of compensation to the affected communities.
The group’s position was made known by its National Coordinator, Sheriff Mulade, during a press conference in Abuja, yesterday.
“As environmentalists and stakeholders of the Niger Delta, we have only one option; we are calling on the Federal Government to do the needful, but if the government fails, we will institute a suit restraining the sale of those assets, which we have already commenced the process. We will not allow Shell to exit our land until the proper cleanup is done,” he said.
According to him, there’s need for the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to save Niger Delta environment from further degradation, as a result of oil spills, illegal bunkering and oil theft.
He pointed out that there is an immediate need to resolve the concerns in a cooperate buy out, and in line with best practices as obtained in other climes.
He went on to say while they were not shocked, they were, however, taken aback by the recent sale of the SPDC’s onshore facilities assets to an indigenous oil company, headed by Renaissance and four other companies.
Mulade said it was regrettable that Nigeria is the only country on the planet that would allow a multinational oil giant to devastate its ecology and ecosystem, and withdraw its investment without facing consequences.
He emphasised that the region has been completely destroyed by SPDC, all without any intentions to repair the ecological harm and ecological degradation that their exploratory efforts have produced.
“We would want to strongly appeal and advise the Federal Government, led by President Tinubu and the new buyers, the indigenous oil firms, to equally consider buying the onshore liabilities , left by the SPDC, if they wish to operate peacefully in the region.
“Over the years, the Niger Delta has borne the brunt of environmental degradation resulting from Shell’s oil and gas exploration activities. The overall well-being cannot be overstated.
“Consequently, we implore Mr. President, as the custodian of our nation’s interests, to address the following:
“Compensate communities affected by Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta region. We urge your administration to ensure fair and just compensation for irreversible damage caused to their lands, water sources, and ecosystems.
“The proposed sale of Shell onshore assets must include stringent provisions for addressing existing liabilities. These provisions should guarantee the new owners assume responsibility for mitigating and rectifying environmental damage and restoring the affected communities ecosystem.
“Allocate a portion of the proceeds from the sale towards comprehensive community development initiatives. These initiatives should focus on sustainable projects that enhance education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic opportunities for the affected communities.
“Establish mechanism to ensure transparency and accountability in the entire process of the asset sale. The affected communities should be activity involved in the decision-making processes to safeguard there interests.”
The group appealed to the Federal Government to give due consideration to the pressing matters and delay the approval of the transaction until the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta is addressed properly.
In the same vain, CEPEJ National Coordinator has accused Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, of encouraging criminality by destroying evidence of oil theft in the Niger Delta as well as damaging the region.
Reacting to Kyari’s admittance that NNPCL destroyed more than 5,500 unauthorised refineries and nearly 4,500 illegal pipeline connections over the last three years, Mulade said it was against environmental practices world over.
Kyari, during the 2024 lecture at the Faculty of Science in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State with the titled: “Energy security, sustainability and profitability in Nigeria: Advances, challenges and opportunities,” highlighted pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft, as well as rapid population growth, as the main challenges to energy security in the West African country.
He said while it is not surprising to learn of the statistical breakdown as released by NNPCL in the course of its siege against oil theft and vandalism in the region, it is gladdening to know the revelations are not only coming to light duly certified by the government, giving credence to “our long stand of the massive, colossal degradation that has been ongoing for years in the Niger Delta region.
“However, it is pertinent to mention that NNPCL and the Nigerian security agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting oil installations in the region are encouraging criminality by the incessant destruction of stolen crude oil evidence, resultant oil spill carnage, thereby destroying aquatic and agrarian life style.
“The continuous destruction of the ecosystem and aquatic lifestyle has left the youths with no option than to engage in criminal activities for survival since the means of livelihoods is being destroyed as a result of the incessant oil spill, of largely fishing and crops farming.”
Asked to access the efforts by government to clean up Ogoni land, Mulade said: “We will continue to commend the United Nations, which based on its report gave that opportunity for the cleanup of Ogoniland. But I can tell you authoritatively that that clean up to many of us who are environmentalist, is political. There’s nothing tangible on ground to write about. You can only see the clean up exercise and the process on document, there’s nothing much. To many of us, we can describe it as a fail project to some extent.
“It will interest you to know that in the Niger Delta, there are areas more polluted than Ogoniland but the good thing is that the people of Ogoni took it upon themselves and have been able to push their case to the international level, that is why we are talking about Ogoni. There are areas that are more destroyed as a result of exploitation and exploration activities in the Niger Delta.”