Communiqué issued at the end of the Second National Consultation on the Environment held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 25 - 26 November 2009
Global warming and other grave environmental hazards are primarily a
result of extractive activities, particularly oil extraction.
Over five decades of oil extraction in Nigeria have not impacted
positively on the citizenry and particularly the people of the Niger
Delta, whose livelihoods have been eroded because of regular pollution
of farmlands and rivers.
Women, children and other vulnerable persons in the Niger Delta and
other resource-bearing communities across the country have been made
vulnerable due to resource conflicts and are exposed to severe human
rights abuse.
By failing to halt gas flaring in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian
government has demonstrated a lack of preparedness to committing to
reduce the effects of climate change even as it joins climate talks in
Copenhagen
Violent conflicts and criminality in the Niger Delta region and
particularly in oil-bearing communities are direct results of corruption
rooted in the operations of oil industry.
Life expectancy in the Niger Delta has continued to decline yearly as a
result of environmental pollution in the region and today stands at an
appalling 41 years.
There is flagrant disregard for international standards in the oil
industry particularly the non-observance of Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) on projects with far-reaching impacts on local communities.
The Federal Government’s planned deregulation of the downstream oil
sector will only benefit a profiteering cabal in the country and not the
vast majority of the population.
The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as currently prepared by the Federal
Government is fundamentally flawed and is anti-people as it neither
allows for communities to be notified of risks nor seeks their
endorsement for environmental management plans. In addition to numerous
gaps, the PIB does not offer sufficient penalties to deter infringement
of its provisions.
Nigeria’s oil industry is still rife with oil theft and inaccuracy in
volumes of oil extracted and what is actually made public, and makes a
nonsense of governments touted policy on transparency and accountability
The amnesty programme of the Federal Government is yet to address key
human rights and developmental challenges in the Niger Delta and may
fail with unimaginable consequences.
Ecological funds meant for remediation have been regularly diverted to
other uses that do not have a bearing on impacted environments.
Massive land grabs promoted by agribusinesses and oil corporations erode
traditional farming practices on the African continent.
The Nigerian government is yet to demonstrate sufficient commitment to
growing the national economy by failure to fund research and qualitative
education in addition to poorly thought-out policies that promote
disruption in the educational sector.
There is low awareness on environmental issues in the country.
Participants therefore strongly recommend that:
– All new oil finds must be left in the ground. The planned exploitation
of bitumen should be halted as the extraction will inflict unmitigated
disaster on communities and raise new levels of conflicts.
– The Leave Oil in the Ground message should be popularized.
– Gas flaring is a violation of the rights of Nigerians to life as is
enshrined in the constitution and must end today
– The Federal Government must take steps to ascertain and publish the
volumes of oil extracted daily in the nation. As a follow up to this, it
must take immediate steps to stop all forms of oil theft.
– A need exists for mass awareness and mobilization of local communities
to resist gas flaring and other unfriendly environmental practices in
the Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria where resource conflicts are
a growing reality.
– The authentic Petroleum Industry Bill must address genuine concerns of
the oil-bearing communities by seeking their endorsement on
environmental management plans. It must also proffer sufficient
penalties for infringement of the provisions.
– Any provision in the Petroleum Industry Bill that is aimed at
expropriating land and resources from the people must be abrogated.
– Political leadership of the Niger Delta must judiciously use the
resources of the region for development.
– The amnesty programme of the Federal Government should address the real
issues of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta and open channels for
genuine reconciliation of all aggrieved people of the region.
– The Nigerian state must fund qualitative education and indigenous
research to address challenges of development.
– Women and the vulnerable in the society must be protected from the
fallouts of resource conflicts while identified cases of violation of
their rights must be adequately redressed.
– All stakeholders-communities, civil society groups, government agencies,
the media, among others, must work collaboratively to expose unsound
environmental practices and mobilize for laws that will reverse the trend.
In conclusion, we are united in our opposition to new oil blocs and call
on all progressive-minded peoples and organizations to support our call
that new oil finds be left in the ground and bitumen left in the soil.
Signed:
- Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria
- Host Communities Network (HoCoN)
- Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), Ibadan
- Social Action, Port Harcourt
- Nigeria Cassava Growers Association
- African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development, Abuja
- Environment, Health and Communication Initiative
- Persons with Disabilities Action Network (PEDANET)
- United Action for Democracy (UAD)
- Conflict Resolution Trainers Network (CROTIN)
- Grace Fellowship Africa
- Students Environmental Assembly
- Campaigners for Justice, Equity and Fairness (CJEF), Benin City
- Society for the Rights of the Girl Child
- Women Environmental Programme
- Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER)
- Council for Leadership and Development (CLD)
- Society for Empowerment and Self-Reliance (SESER)
- Youth Empowerment and Child Labor Elimination Project (YCEP)
- Foundation for Conservation of the Earth (FOCONE)
- Green Concern for Development (Green Code), formerly ABGREMO, Calabar
- Centre for Rural Integration and Development
- UGREEN Foundation
- Development Information Network (DEVNET)
- Child Health Organisation
- Concern for Habitat Development
- LEAP Foundation
- Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA)
- Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group
- Children Initiative
- Centre for Development Communications (CENDEC)
- National Point Newspapers
- Foundation Against Social Trauma and Environmental Ravage (FASTER)
- Wildlife Preservation Trust
- Trade Network Initiative (TNI)
- Centre for Socio-Economic Development
- HRJPF
- Movement for Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP)
- CEHRD
- Oruma Community
- Ogoni Solidarity Forum
- Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
- HEDA, Lagos
- People Against Drug Dependence and Ignorance (PADDI)
- Gender Awareness and Development Associates (GADA)
- Centre for Development Support Initiatives
- CUAED
- Nurses Across Borders
- Institute for Dispute Resolution
- Kebet Kache Women Development and Resource Centre
- Environ-Green Integrated Initiative
- Alfred Ozo Foundation
- Social Development Integrated Centre (SDIC)
- Centre for Human Empowerment, Advancement and Development
- Association for Promotion of Human Development, Gombe State
- Bamidele Aturu & Co
- Women and Children Life Advancement Initiative, Katsina State
- Foundation for Sustainable Development
- Care for Youth Initiative
- Future of Our Environment
- CIC Benin
- Centre for Development Support Initiatives (CEDSI-Nigeria)
- OGDEMOVE
- Centre for Social and Corporate Responsibility (CSCR) Port Harcourt
- Hand of Hope Foundation
- Friends of the Needy and Oppressed Foundation (FONAO) Foundation
- Centre for the Advancement of Children and Women Rights
- Centre for Creative Arts Education, Port Harcourt
- Goodwill Homage Foundation
- Green Earth Links
- The Olive -Child Foundation
- Mag Foundation for Women
- Freshfields Solicitors, Port Harcourt
- Our Niger Delta
- River Ethiope Trust Foundation
- Gender and Development Action
- Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO)
- Peculiar People Foundation
- Impact and Systems International, Abuja
- Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), Ijebu-Ode
- Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarisation (CENCOD), Lagos
- Imo Mass Movement
- Women in Technology Education and Employment
- Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Abuja
- Basic Rights Action
- Legal Hands, Benin City
- Rural Women and Youth Development Initiative, Ikom, Cross Rivers State
- Koyenum Immalah Foundation (Publish What you Pay)
- Save Earth Nigeria
- Peace and Development Projects
- Neighborhood Environmentwatch Foundation
- Organisation for Sustenance of the Nigerian Environment
- Ijaw Council for Human Rights
- Association for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Gombe
- Women Centre for Quality Living and Practice, Benin City
- Campaign for Democracy
- Gender Environmental and Sustenable Development Initiative (GENSDI)
- ANPEZ Centre for Environment and Development
- Peace and Development Projects (PEDEP)
- African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
- D.U Akamakusi & Associates
- Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA)
- Niger Delta Coastal Communities Development Association
ND-COCODA - Christars Global Development Foundation, Port Harcourt
- African Center for Sustainable Livelihoods (AFRICSUL)
- Iwherekan Community, Delta State
- Africa Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)
- Community Forest Watch (CFW), Iguobazuwa, Edo State
- Singles & Success Organisation
- Academic Foundation Network, Ete Community
- Gender Action Group
- Climate Change Network Nigeria (CCN)
- Niger Delta Development Initiative (NDDI)
- Environmental Outreach Magazine, Yenagoa
- FISHCAREPLUS
- Oilwatch Africa
- Publish What You Pay