By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

Environmental activists under the aegis of Coalition for a Clean Niger Delta (CCND), over the weekend called on President Bola Tinubu “to resolve the Ecocide (Environmental Genocide) in the Niger Delta, that increasingly threatens the continued existence of the entire region.”

This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and
Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), and made available to INFO DAILY.

According to the duo, to address the ‘environmental genocide’ in the region, President Tinubu needs to urgently issue an “Executive Order creating a Niger Delta Environmental Remediation Programme and Trust Fund.”

READ ALSO: Oil Spill: Pay A Visit To Impacted N’Delta Communities, Environmental Activists Urge Tinubu

CCND said the Trust Fund, when established, could either be an independent body or or “domiciled in the extant Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) currently overseeing the cleanup of Ogoni Land, but with a separate Trust Fund from the Ogoni Trust Fund, an expanded Governing Council and an unimpeachable Management system designed to avoid the contradictions that have historically bedeviled HYPREP and the debatable progress of the Ogoni Cleanup.”

Outlining tasks of the Trust Fund, the environmental activists said “the Programme would include a definitive health audit besides the standard environmental audit of impacted areas.

“Adoption of the National Principles on Divestment and Decommissioning in the Nigerian Oil Industry in line with the one recently compiled by a wide coalition of community, civil society and international organizations, following extensive field missions and engagements in the Niger Delta.”

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The duo, while stating that the Trust Fund would serve as a panacea for Oil theft and asset vandalisation, added that it would “minimize re-pollution, optimize production and abate associated insecurity, enact a carefully articulated approach to this economic crime (based on broad and in-depth stakeholder consultations, which we are prepared to be part of if required).”

They added: “The new strategy should be preventive, proactive, inclusive, accountable, and look beyond current official reliance on state and non-state military methods that can often be tragically counterproductive, as results have shown intermittently.”

On how to fund the Trust Fund, the environmental activists recommended that “the primary funding should be from the operators and JV partners in oil/petroleum leases, based on credible costings for remediation within their respective acreages and in line with the universal Polluter Pays Principle (PPP).”

They added: “Additional funding sources could include (I) the Environmental Remediation Fund created but yet to be operationalized under the Petroleum Industry Act, (II) gas flare penalties paid by operators, (III) part of the existing Ecological Fund, at least to cover immediate region wide impact and cost assessments, (IV) a portion of the statutory funds of the Niger Delta Development Commission, whose statutory mission expressly includes an ecological/pollution resolution mandate that is largely neglected since its  inception, (V) Decommissioning liabilities and restoring funds in oil mining agreements and (VI) international environmental, climate and impact funds/resources that can be leveraged through appropriate strategies and channels.”

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo 

Environmental activists under the aegis of Coalition for a Clean Niger Delta (CCND), weekend, urged President Bola Tinubu to visit communities impacted by oil spill and pollution in the Niger Delta region.

Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and
Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), made the call in a statement made available to INFO DAILY.

They lamented that for over seventy years, the ecosystem of the Niger Delta has been “plagued by unprecedented perennial pollution from petroleum production activities, enabled or worsened by a highly dysfunctional, conflicted and compromised environmental regulatory system, since the country struck commercial oil in the Oloibiri Province prior to Nigeria’s Independence.”

The environmental activists, while advocating for the clean up of the region particularly impacted communities, said Nigeria, being a member of international treaties and conventions, including those on universal rights, environmental and indigenous people’s rights, and climate change, cannot be a difference from other oil producing nations.

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The statement partly reads: “We invite Mr President to pay a spot visit, along with the relevant Ministers and Regulators, and possibly the National Security Adviser, to some of the following locations, which are too few as examples of devastation, to see for yourself: Polobubo and Ogulagha in Delta State; Ibeno, Mbo and Ikot Ada Udo in Akwa Ibom State; Awoye in Ondo State; Bille, Obagi and Rumuekpe in Rivers State; and Gbarain/Ekpetiama, Nembe,Aghoro and Otuabagi (where Nigeria’s pioneer oil wells are located) in Bayelsa State.

“Amidst the global dynamics of the 21st Century, and particularly in the context of climate change/action, Nigeria cannot continue to act as if ignorant of the importance of its biodiversity endowments and ecological imperatives. 

“There are many countries we can benchmark, which produce more oil, gain far higher revenues from it, but still jealously and profitably protect their environment and ecosystems. Norway which has a trillion-dollar Sovereign Wealth Fund from petrodollars (and population of 5.5 million, against Nigeria’s 228 million) is a prime example, but ensures its waters stay pristine, enabling its robust fishing and marine industries. Scotland and the UAE are others.

“We trust that Mr President and the government are mindful of Nigeria’s numerous commitments to international treaties and conventions, including those on universal rights, environmental and indigenous people’s rights, and climate change. 

READ ALSO: Three Suspected Pipeline Vandals Caught In Edo

“Mr President’s commitments to a world audience at the UN Climate Conference (COP 28) in Dubai, UAE, barely four months ago are also fresh in mind.”

The statement added: “A genuine action to cleanup the Niger Delta will be an excellent progress report for Nigeria, and particularly for Your Excellency, as the world gathers again at the next Climate Conference, COP 29, in about six months from now.

“The protracted social injustice of funding national development at such extreme ecocidal expense of communities in the oil-producing Niger Delta region, or communities wherever else in Nigeria, needs to be urgently redressed, without any pretences as witnessed under previous Administrations.

“With the ongoing divestment of their remaining onshore holdings in Nigeria by the major international oil companies (IOCs), and their huge outstanding environmental liabilities thrown into legal uncertainty, thereby portending further risks and escalation of social tensions for communities, the time for Mr President to act as the Protector-in-Chief of Nigerian communities is now.”

The Edo State Police Command has arrested three pipeline vandals in the Obazagbon community of the Orhiomwon Local Government Area.

The suspects include Jackson Aluche, aged 45; Oke Okoro, aged 30; and Oluchukwu Chukwuma, aged 18.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on April 14 at about 10:30 a.m.

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When contacted by our correspondent, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident.

He added that the suspects were caught siphoning crude oil and smashing a PAN Ocean Oil Corporation pipeline.

Nwabuzor noted that the suspects admitted to the crime, claiming that one AKA Doctor had hired them to carry out the deed and that they would be charged with court charges.

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He said, “On April 14, 2024, at about 1030 a.m., the operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department, while acting on credible intelligence, arrested three suspects, namely, Jackson Aluche, 45 years old; Oke Okoro, 30 years old; and Oluchukwu Chukwuma, 18 years old, at Obazagbon community in Orhiomwon Local Government Area of Edo State.

“They were caught breaking a crude oil pipeline for Pan Ocean Oil Corporation and siphoning crude oil. The suspects made statements and confessed to the crime, saying that they were employed by AKA Doctor to carry out the act. Suspects will soon be charged in court.”