By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
In the face of divestment plans of oil multinational companies in the Niger Delta especially Shell, stakeholders have called on all communities affected by oil pollution to band together to hold the multinational companies accountable for the environmental disasters caused by oil exploration, and to demand for reparations and compensation from divesting oil companies and their succeeding companies.
This was stated in a meeting of community representatives from Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Abia which held at the EDEN Resource Center in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with the aim of raising awareness of community members, to educate local communities on their rights and how to hold Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings and other local oil companies accountable for the continuous pollution of the Niger Delta Region, in the face of divestment by Shell and other oil multinationals.
Deputy Executive Director of EDEN, Alagoa Morris who led the meeting, stated that the interactions and shared experiences of affected communities were necessary in order to strategize on how to collectively confront the polluters. He described the divestment of Shell as a ploy to escape the consequences of decades of environmental and human rights abuses, while operating under the guise of local oil companies.
While sharing their experiences in their various communities, the issues of reoccurring oil spills, polluted lands and waters, low crop yields, health related issues, communal crisis and deaths, and lack of infrastructural development were the testimonies of all the communities represented.They condemned the divestment of Shell and other companies, pointing out that rhetorical divestment was just a name change, while the operators and their operations remain the same.
They lamented that the communities have become helpless in these dire situations, as intimidation and divide-and-rule tactics have been employed by these companies to keep the communities suppressed and silenced.
Also speaking at the program, EDEN’s Program Manager on Women and Gender, Keziah Okpojo spoke on the importance of women inclusion in climate and environmental justice system, not just to complete protest numbers but to also participate in decision making and advocacy efforts towards seeking justice and accountability. Comrades Akpotu Ziworitin and Comrade Sabastan Kpalaap highlighted the Human and Environmental rights of the people and the need to continue to speak up to uphold these rights and ensure accountability from oil companies.
Media and Communication Manager of EDEN, Elvira Jordan spoke on the role of Social Media in environmental advocacy, and how communities can utilize the internet to expose the injustices of the oil and gas sector, as social media provides a wide opportunity to reach the oil companies, government regulatory agencies, civil society organizations, human rights advocates and other stakeholders.
