By Obiabin Onukwugha
Leading environmental organization, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has criticized Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the creation of three new environment-related ministries.
HOMEF is concerned that these three ministries – the Ministry of Gas Resources, the Ministry of Petroleum, and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy – are raising special concerns in an environment that is already heavily degraded.
Nnimmo Bassey, the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), expressed these concerns in a statement on Saturday.
He worries that the creation of the gas ministry will only encourage continued gas emissions, posing unique problems for the environment and ecosystems.
“We do not see a bright future for the Nigerian environment, people, and economy with the President as the minister of the twin petroleum ministries, and with the creation of a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. The three ministries will pose unique problems for our aquatic ecosystems and will inevitably worsen the plight of communities whose interests are once more set to be sacrificed.
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“While we have continued to raise concerns about the degraded environment, creating a Ministry of Gas Resources would only give license to the continuous gas emissions, which are a major cause of climate change and the attendant problems faced by our communities. By placing a special focus and promoting the gas industry, the Ministry of Gas will inexorably discourage the development of cleaner and more sustainable energy alternatives. This will further create long-term dependency on fossil fuels at a time when all efforts should be made to ‘depetrolize’ our economy,” he said.
Bassey also expressed concern that the President has not yet appointed an environment minister, sending a signal to Nigerians about the President’s level of concern for a sector so fundamental to their survival.
The HOMEF Executive Director also criticized the concept of the Blue Economy, stating, “The concept of the Blue Economy, like the Green Economy, is aimed at massive exploitation and commodification of Nature with deleterious consequences. Developing the marine and blue economy sectors will lead to industrial fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, marine biotechnology, deep-sea mining, and other ecologically harmful activities. With a hugely unpoliced continental shelf, this focus will pose special threats to our communities and others in the entire Gulf of Guinea.”
Continuing, Bassey said, “HOMEF believes that by prioritizing gas, other renewable energy sources will be neglected. This lack of diversification will hinder the country’s ability to adapt to future energy demands, leading to continuous disruption of our ecosystems with attendant health and safety risks. At a time when health and environmental audits should be conducted in the oil field communities, the government is poised to ramp up the horrors. This is unacceptable.
“After taking so long to put together the cabinet, the announced setup raises many questions. While these may be addressed at the swearing-in ceremony, it is hoped that the government will explain the erasure of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to Nigerians and what appointing a coordinating minister for the Ministry of Health means.
“It should also be noted that our inland water, coastal, and marine environment have been subjected to violent exploitation that has led to the degradation that the environment suffers from. Creating this ministry will lead to the intensification of such violent exploitation.
“HOMEF believes that it is important to carefully consider the potential repercussions when setting priorities for energy policies, as finding the right balance between economic interests, environmental health, and social well-being is crucial.”
