Oil and gas extraction activities in Nigeria are often accompanied by
routine gas flaring and oil spills. The resulting pollution has added to the vulnerability of host communities to climate change and the food crisis. Other impacts on the communities include flooding, coastal erosion, and sea level rise among others.
The communities bear the costs
of the negative impacts of corporate activities while these corporations
reap massive profits and governments turn a blind eye.
Two of such communities are Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State and Joinkrama, a
cluster of four communities, in Rivers State. They tell tales of oil pollution, environmental degradation and devastating abandonment by the
government and the companies operating there.
While Ibeno community was
known for fishing Joinkrama stood out as a food basket serving both Rivers and Bayelsa States. Joinkrama has 48 oil wells being exploited by Shell and producing about 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily but when oil extraction began in this area, other businesses and investment
opportunities took a downward spiral.
Ibeno has been host to ExxonMobil
and hosts about 90 offshore platforms comprising of 300 producing wells
at the capacity of about 550,000 barrels of oil extracted daily.
Health of Mother Earth Foundation recently facilitated Community
Diagnostic Dialogues in both communities during which they examined the dramatic negative changes that have occurred in their environments and what could be done to reverse the trends.
On the issues of oil pollution, the people lamented that the Orashi River which serves as their major source of portable water for the Joinkrama people and the Atlantic coast at Ibeno have suffered severe oil pollution over time.
Azaga Ovie-Oniso Kelvin, a member of Joinkrama community, said “Joinkrama is criss-crossed by oil and gas pipelines. Oil floats on the river and we can no longer fish, while crops like cassava are also not yielding like they used to. You can see the environment. The roofing
sheets are all rusty.
What we want is for the oil company operating here to mitigate the effects of their operations in the community by stopping pollution and cleaning up the damaged areas.”
He further added that the 2022 flood left a huge impact. “Crops were
all destroyed. We were rendered homeless. The oil companies are not
helping matters, and even the access road is completely broken. The oil
company and government should at least repair our only access road.
There are no benefits at all from the oil company. We still drink
polluted water from the Orashi River,” he lamented.
In a joint Community Monitoring training exercise organized for both
communities affected by oil and gas exploration and exploitation
activities, the people learned ways of monitoring their environment,
identifying environmental, social-economic and wellbeing issues as well as how to advocate and mobilize for change.
Sunday Dressman from Joinkrama stated the plight of his community
following their lack of preparedness to the happening in the community.
“My people are enlightened by this capacity building meeting. We came as a group to gain from this training and we are going back home to step it
down to enable us engage the polluters properly. I make commitment to first engage with my community chief and to enlighten him on the benefits the community stands to gain when we identify problems, ask the right questions and proffer solutions.
“We have suffered from flooding
and pollution, and it is time to let them know what is happening while
we prepare them for what is to come in future, ” he lamented.
Chief Specialist Effanga of Ibeno community while appreciating the
organization for its good initiative in exposing them to the complexity
of the ecological challenges affecting the community, stated, “We will
go back to form a formidable force with our people and also connect with
the Joinkrama people to approach the highest court of the land and
demand justice.
“We will toe the path of non-violence and will dialogue with them till they accept their wrong and begin to put in place measures to ensure that our land is completely clean, and our
livelihoods are restored.”
Another member of Ibeno community, Emmanuel Akpan, stated, “the problem
we have had before now was not having a right channel, but with the
experience and teachings we have had here, our eyes are opened to know
the right demand to make and actions to take.
We will engage the government and our oppressors using the right media. ExxonMobil has enslaved us for long but it is time to take up active advocacy in demanding for the restoration of our environment. We have suffered from cancers, respiratory diseases and others aliments while we lack basic
essential amenities that we ought to have.”
Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, described the monitoring training as
timely. “This has given the communities the basic tools and knowledge on how to defend their environments and by so doing their health and livelihoods.
The situation in both Ibeno and Joinkrama show abject abandonment of a very accommodating people. Their situation cannot continue to be one by which they are remembered only for exploitation of resources and extraction of votes during elections.
There are key oil and gas issues in these areas and there have been notable oil spills over the decades, human rights abuses and repression of the people. We have heard from them and we encourage them to speak with one voice. They deserve to enjoy the right to a safe environment and the time for them to be heard is now.”
Ken Henshaw, the executive director of We the People, during his
presentation stated that the Nigeria state does not care about the
health and environment of its people. He added that oil theft and
criminality are not carried out by communities and they should not be
criminalized for what they are not responsible for.
“This training should charge and equip you to face the government and oil companies to demand the right thing and to demand accountability from our leaders.
Obnoxious sections of the PIA should be changed, and corporations should
not divest without taking responsibility of the damage they have wreaked
on the communities.” He further encouraged community members to be courageous in the face of challenges.
“It is more difficult to break a
united and courageous group. The more united we are in fighting this
cause, the more it is easy for you to achieve a better result.”
The dialogue and training sessions created platforms for convergence of
communities in the region to have actionable plans for needed changes
through demands for legislative changes, including a review of the
Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, halting of gas flaring, ensuring justice
in divestment processes and demanding reparations and re-source
democracy.
The communities demanded for audits that would cover environmental, livelihoods, health, social and economic impacts of crude oil and gas extraction, which should be immediately followed by the remediation and restoration of their communities and the entire Niger
Delta region.
Kome Odhomor is the
Media/Communication Lead
Health of Mother Earth Foundation Benin City.
