News

CSO Wants Interogation Of IOCs’ Divestment In Onshore

Published

4 years ago

May 27, 2022

Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has called on the government of Nigeria to urgently stop the incentivisation of oil companies to divesting the onshore sector to deep offshore.

ERA/FoEN said if at all the government wants to allow divestment in the oil sector, there should a guaranteed process of reclaiming the environment and restoring it to how it was before the divesting entities began operations.

The Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Chima Willaims, Esq., made the call in Benin on Friday at an event tagged Civil Society Round-table on International Oil Companies (IOC) Divestment in the Niger Delta.

The Executive Director said the Round-table on divestment was a continuation of a process that ERA had commenced to interrogate the reason the IOCs “suddenly started a divestment process that is leading to sale of their (IOCs) entire onshore assets and going deep and investing in deep offshore.”(Sic)

While noting that the Round-table to interrogate the reason why the IOCs are going into divestment started in Bayelsa and later in Rivers State, Williams said interrogations by ERA have shown that the arguments put forth by the oil companies on reason why they are going into divestment have been proved to be false.

“Our interrogations have shown that the arguments that the oil companies are making on why they are divesting are false, and we challenge them to come out for a discussion on it,” he said.

Williams continues: “Nigeria will be the greatest loser if we allow these divesting multi-national companies to leave behind the mess they have created, which they are selling off to our brothers and sisters in the domestic operations who do not have the financial and technical strengths to engage and recover our environment. Allowing this to happen will mean double jeopardy and punishment for Nigerians.”

The Executive Director said if at all the IOCs must be allowed to go into divestment, ERA is concerned with a situation “whereby divestment is done with the real intention of divestment, and not a divestment of milking us and throwing us out as a waste product.”

Speaking on ‘the abuse of divestment by IOCs in Nigeria; divestment affects local communities,’ President, Host Communities Network of Nigeria, Prince Preye Pawuru warned that if divestment by IOCs is allowed the GDP of Nigeria will fall.

He added: “Our oil production will drop; the money coming to the oil sector will drop.

“The oil companies have done so much damage to our environment which they have not cleanup yet they want to go into divestment.”

On his part, former Edo lawmaker, Friday Ogierakhi, described divestment by the IOCs as use and dump, adding that after “the multi-national have perhaps taken the juice from the onshore, and now living the remnant for the people.”

While describing the Round-table as a proactive move, the former lawmaker said there was need to call the multi-national companies to account.

He added: “it is about accountability in the Oil mineral industry. If you must divest, there must be something in return for the people for all that you have taken away.” (sic)

News

Trump’s Airstrikes: Halt Military Cooperation With US Immediately – Sheikh Gumi Tells Tinubu Govt

Published

4 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Editor

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has called on the Federal Government to immediately halt all military cooperation with the United States following reported US airstrikes.

Gumi warned that American involvement could worsen Nigeria’s security challenges and undermine national sovereignty.

Gumi made the call in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Friday.

He said while Islam permits the fight against terrorism, such actions should only be carried out by what he described as “clean hands,” arguing that the United States lacks the moral authority to lead such efforts because of its global military record.

According to the cleric, Nigeria made a mistake by allowing foreign powers to play a role in its counterterrorism operations, insisting that “terrorists do not truly fight terrorists” and that such interventions often result in civilian casualties and hidden political motives.

Gumi warned that allowing Nigeria to become a theatre of war would attract anti-US forces into the country, further destabilising it.

He also cautioned that US involvement, particularly under claims of protecting Christians, could polarise the country along religious lines.

The cleric further argued that airstrikes alone cannot defeat terrorism, stressing that effective counterterrorism requires strong ground operations, which he said Nigeria has enough personnel to carry out if properly organised.

“This is the mistake Nigeria has made. Terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth; they may only kill innocent people and have ulterior motives behind the drama of fighting ‘terror’.

“As a principle, no nation should allow its land to be a theater of war. And no nation should allow its neighbors to be their enemies.

“If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively,” part of his statement reads.

News

Shehu Sani Reacts To Trump’s Military Strikes In Nigeria

Published

4 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Editor

Former lawmaker, senator Shehu Sani, has reacted to reports of United States military strikes on terrorist targets in Nigeria’s North-West, saying foreign powers cannot permanently handle the country’s security challenges.

Sani made the remarks on Friday via his X handle while responding to a post by the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, which indicated that the strikes were carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities.

According to him, if the reported strikes were indeed a joint operation with Nigerian security agencies, then such action was justifiable, given the threat posed by terrorist groups in the region.

He described terrorists operating in parts of northern Nigeria as “cancerous cells,” stressing that they survive through violence and should be confronted decisively.

Sani also dismissed narratives suggesting that terrorist attacks target only one religious group, describing such claims as false and misleading.

He said: “If actually, the military strikes against the terrorists targets in the North Western part of Nigeria were a joint operation with the ‘Nigerian Authorities’ as posted by the US AFRICOM on their verified X handle, then it’s a conscionable action.

“Terrorists have become cancerous cells in our part of the country.They live by the sword.The narrative that the evil terrorists only targets one faith, remains absolutely false and misleading.

“Again, the ultimate security and peace in our country lies with ourselves and not with the US or any foreign power. They can complimentarily or unilaterally strike, but they can’t eternally fight our battles.”