Joseph Ebi Kanjo|Benin 

A coalition of civil society organisations,
community leaders, and other concerned citizens of Nigeria have urged President Bola Tinubu to halt the divestment bid by international oil corporations operating in the Niger Delta region of the country.

This followed an initial rejection by the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) of Shell’s request to sell its remaining shares in the
Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance
consortium.

In a statement made available to INFO DAILY by Kome Odhomor, Media/Communication Lead, Oilwatch Africa, and signed by Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF); Ken Henshaw, Executive Director, We the People, and other over 20 CSOs, the group warned that an approval of the sale of Shell’s and Total’s assets would be a “declaration of war with the Niger Delta.”

They added that any approval of requests by oil companies would weaken regulatory independence, ignore the interests of the Niger Delta communities, jeopardize the environmental and social well-being of the region for generations to come, and undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.

The statement reads in part: “President Tinubu must safeguard the future of Nigeria, ensuring that all its people, especially those in the Niger Delta, are not sacrificed for the benefit of global capital and a few local profiteers.

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“We want to make it absolutely clear: approving Shell’s or TotalEnergies’
divestment in its current form without addressing the profound
environmental and social costs would be a grave injustice to the people of the Niger Delta and could lead to significant unrest in the region.

“It would be an affront to the generations of Niger Deltans who have
fought and died for environmental justice, their homes, and their
livelihoods.

“Approving Shell’s SPDC share sale would send a dangerous message to all multinational corporations operating in Nigeria that they can extract our resources, leave devastation behind, and walk away without consequence.

“This is not just a question of corporate accountability; it
is about Nigeria’s sovereignty, dignity, and the right of its people to
live in a clean and safe environment.”

Dangerous lessons from past asset sales

The CSO groups and concerned citizens, while recounting experience from asset sales, noted that the local communities usually suffer in such deals.

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They added: “The experiences from past asset sales by Shell, ENI/AGIP, and ExxonMobilo Offer grave lessons.

“In the case of Shell’s divestment in Nembe to Aiteo, for instance, the local communities were left with unresolved pollution and no proper remedy for the environmental damage caused by decades of oil extraction. Environmental destruction has worsened in the
area.

“Similarly, when ExxonMobil divested some of its assets, the
responsibility for remediation was inadequately transferred to new operators, who were ill-prepared to manage the legacy of contamination.

“In ENI/AGIP’s case, the sale of assets to Oando continued to worsen the
situation in the host communities as there were no comprehensive cleanup efforts undertaken.

“These sales not only failed to address the critical environmental
liabilities but also deepened the social tensions in the Niger Delta, as new operators took over without addressing the root causes of community unrest or the longstanding health and environmental challenges.”

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The CSOs, while emphasising that “this
pattern of irresponsible divestment must not be repeated, and the
Nigerian government has a responsibility to stop it,” further called for “immediately halt all divestment processes until a transparent,
comprehensive, and inclusive review is undertaken that addresses Shell’s
and TotalEnergies’ historical environmental and social liabilities.”

They, therefore , demanded “an inclusive and transparent consultation with state governments and the people of the sites of oil and gas extraction in the Niger Delta before any further divestment of IOC assets.

“Hold Shell, TotalEnergies, and all other IOCs accountable for their past and ongoing environmental damage, and ensure they fund a full cleanup and remediation program across the Niger Delta.

“Uphold the regulatory independence of NUPRC and allow it to fulfill
its statutory duties without political interference.

“Respect the resolution of the National Assembly, which has called for a halt to all divestments by international oil companies in Nigeria.

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“Ensure that new operators are properly vetted and committed to
responsible environmental management and community welfare.

“Create an Environmental Restoration Fund that is sufficiently funded
to meet the full and complete costs of environmental cleanup and reparations based on credible estimates of independent international experts and contributed to by Shell, TotalEnergies, and other international oil companies and future operators to address the
long-term damage caused by their operations.

“Provide community profit-sharing opportunities for host communities
as part of any divestment agreement, ensuring that the local people benefit from the oil resources they have hosted for decades.

“Mandate full disclosure of all environmental liabilities before
divestment, requiring Shell, TotalEnergies, and any future operators to
publicly declare and address all damages.

“Include gas flaring cessation and decommissioning plans in any divestment agreement, with clear timelines for ending harmful practices.

“Account for carbon emissions related to the divested assets and
propose mitigation plans that align with Nigeria’s climate commitments.”