By Joseph Ebi Kanjo 

The Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Barrister Chima Williams, has explained why his organisation is leading the campaign against the divestment of multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.

He said his organisation is leading the campaign because of the negative impacts of such divestment on the people (hosting communities) and the environment.

Williams, who spoke during a webinar meeting on International Oil Companies Divestment from the Niger Delta, said it’s unacceptable for multinational oil companies to have destroyed the area (environment) they operated and thereafter walk away without doing something about the destroyed environment.

READ ALSO: ERA, Others Want Coca Cola, Others Held Accountable For Plastic Pollution

He said: “Oil companies have caused a lot of damage to our communities and environment, so they cannot leave us destroyed after they have carted away billions in dollars from our environment.

“Of course, oil companies are at liberty to dispose their assets as permitted by the law, but as assets that have caused damage to the people and the environment, there are requirements that must be met. The environment must be returned to the status quo. The livelihood of our people must be restored.

“They must settle the divide and rule style they have introduced to our communities. Before their adventure, our people were living peacefully, but they came and divided our communities; you see brothers fighting themselves. All these are their antics to make sure we do not speak in one voice.”

READ ALSO: CSOs Condemn FG’s Suspension Of Green Taxation On Single Use Plastics

He lamented that rather than oil to be a blessing to Nigeria as obtainable in other oil producing countries, it’s rather a curse.

Chima said this was one of the reasons why his organisation embarked on the campaign: ‘Leaving Oil in the Soil’.

“Our campaign on Leaving Oil in the Soil was as a result of the negative impacts of oil exploration in our environment and climate change. If oil companies are doing the right thing, there wouldn’t be need for such.

“Look at other oil producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, things are done properly. The oil companies are doing what they are expected to do, so they are impacting lives of the people positively. Even our own Libya here in Africa, before the death of Gaddafi, the citizens were enjoying the dividends of oil exploration in the country,” he said.

According to the Executive Director, multinational oil companies are going into divestment in order to move from the onshore to offshore where their activities cannot be monitored.

He added that since 2021 that Nigerians became aware that they (oil companies) can be held responsible for their operations and damage done to the environment through the law, they started looking for a way to move to an area where their activities cannot be monitored.

Williams, while calling on the government to reject all applicable for divestment by oil companies, urged Nigerians to join hands in the campaign against such divestment without doing the needful.

READ ALSO: ERA Chides Shell For Slow Response To Multiple Crude Oil Spills In Bayelsa Community

He further called on the National Assembly to enact a law that will spell out pathway for any oil company that wants to go into divestment.

“We are asking our legislative arm to enact a law that will spell out a step by step approach to any move for divestment,” Williams added.