By Obiabin Onukwugha
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on the federal government of Nigeria to halt the divestment by oil multinationals, especially that of Shell Nigeria until communities concerns and environmental issues in the Niger Delta region are addressed.
The CSOs also enjoined the federal government and the regulators to adopt a national framework on responsible divestment that will guide oil companies’ divestment to align with environmental restoration and climate mitigation.
They made the demand on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, at a one-day programme organised by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), to reflect on Ken Saro Wiwa’s struggles for environmental justice in the Niger Delta and to discuss emerging issues that have implication for the environment in the region.
They further advocated that Section 257 of the Petroleum Industry Act be expunged as it wrongly places the responsibility to protect oil facilities on host communities, instead of the operators and the government, while calling for a review the Act.
The CSOs, in a communiqué issued at the end of the event, among other things, urged the National Assembly to hold a public hearing to discuss the planned divestment by Shell and other oil companies from onshore operations in the Niger Delta region.
They also called on the Nigerian government to provide the political will to adequately fund the regulatory agencies in the oil and gas sector to increase the effectiveness and independence of such agencies.
The CSOs, who were drawn from states of the Niger Delta region, also called on political actors in the region to play a key role in the global climate change discourse such as the COP processes.
They rejected the position by the Norges Bank Investment Management in its Responsible Investment Report, where it blamed oil spills in the Niger Delta largely on theft and sabotage, and resolved to launch a campaign for the Nigerian government and oil companies to commence environmental audit and clean-up of all polluted sites in the region.
They also decried the lack of recognition of Shell’s operational failures by Norges Bank Investment Management, despite the evidence presented in reports and witness statements that shows that Shell could have done more to prevent and remediate oil spills in the region.
Earlier in his address, the Acting Executive Director of ANEEJ, Leo Atakpu, said the event, which was supported by the African Climate Foundation (ACF), is part of the implementation of Advocacy for fossil fuel phase out in Nigeria.
He informed that ANEEJ was currently working with some donors to further its work on climate change and the environment.
“Particularly, we are interested in advancing the implementation of Paris Climate Agreement by encouraging oil companies and their investors to adopt the call for carbon emission reduction targeting 1.50C and bellow, and fossil fuel phase-out with a just energy transition projection to protect the natural environment from pollution and over-exploitation.
“Despite the urgent need for the world to quickly move away from fossil fuel or at least drastically reduce carbon emission, to meet the 1.50C target set in Paris, and save the planet from destruction, oil and gas companies have failed to provide realistic plans that will ensure global comfort.
“Major oil companies have abandoned initial climate commitments for short term profit because of increased global demand for crude oil. In 2023, the Church of England Pensions Board, a major investor in Shell and other oil companies announced that it is withdrawing its fund from Shell and other companies because such companies have abandoned its climate commitments for short term profit,” he stated.
Highpoint of the event was the review of a documentary by ANEEJ to mark Ken Saro Wiwa’s struggle and trigger a reflection on the state of Niger Delta a