By Obiabin Onukwugha
Participants at a 5-day Niger Delta Climate Change Conference have called on the federal government to divest from fossil fuel projects to green energy solutions in the region to facilitate a clean Niger Delta and boost the economy of the country.
Underscoring the imperative of free fossil fuel Niger Delta to the Nigerian economy, the environmentalists at the conference, which held in Port Harcourt from October 21 to October 25, argued that the shift to green energy solutions, prioritizing green energy investments, would create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths of the region.
At the conference, convened by the Lekeh Development Foundation and partner organizations, participants reflected on the environmental, economic and social challenges facing the Niger Delta, with the aim of advancing a just energy transition and building climate resilience.
Charging the federal government to prioritize environmental cleanup, enforce corporate accountability, and accelerate the transition to renewable energy, the participants called on international development partners and allies to provide financial and technical support for climate resilience and community-based adaptation projects.
In a communique issued at the end of the conference, the participants argued: “Oil companies are divesting from onshore facilities without undertaking proper environmental remediation or community consultations, leaving communities with unresolved environmental harm.”
They observed that Nigeria’s energy transition policies do not adequately reflect the realities and needs of frontline communities, risking further exclusion of Niger Delta residents in the shift to renewable energy.
The participants, therefore, underscored the necessity for oil companies to undertake comprehensive environmental remediation, health audits, and compensation for communities before any divestment is finalized.
The federal government, they continued, must enforce environmental laws and ensure that no oil company exits without restoring polluted areas.
“A Niger Delta Action Plan on Climate Change will be developed and used as a policy advocacy tool to engage decision-makers at the national and international levels,” the participants said.
The conference, with its theme: Acting Together for Climate Resilience: A Recovery Plan for the Niger Delta, also provided opportunity to the participants to match along the streets of Port Harcourt with placards, calling for environmental justice and just transition for the Niger Delta communities.
