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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??By Fyneface D. Fyneface
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria has pointed accusing fingers at oil companies operating in Nigeria?s Niger Delta region as being responsible for the destruction of the environment, degradation of farmlands, pollution of rivers and streams that the people depend on. The environmental rights group also said the ?widely accepted United Nations Environmental Programmes Report (UNEP) released on August 4, 2011 only complimented earlier reports and views of civil society groups that oil companies were liable for the destruction.?
These were contained in a statement presented by the Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo at a one-day programme organized by the group with the theme ?Environmental Training Workshop and Capacity Building for Civil Society Groups on Offshore Oil Drilling, its impacts on Lives, Livelihoods and Channels for Engagement? held at Aldgate Congress Hotel, Ken Sara-Wiwa road (formerly Sani Abacha road), Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Thursday, July 25, 2013.
(L-R: Mrs. Chinedum Adebumi of NSRP; Dr. Godwin U. Ojo, Executive Director of ERA/FoEN and Mr. Steve Obodokwe of National Point Newspaper at the event)
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Dr. Godwin identified the impact of offshore oil activities as threat to marine environment as posed by increasing activities and volume of oil extraction from offshore oil facilities, citing the Shell Bonga spill of December 24, 2011 and Chevron oil rig blow out of 16th January, 2012 as a few of the many cases in question that had also exposed the weaknesses of government agencies in the management of oil spills in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria where oil exploration and exploitation activities are concentrated. His words ?Even as the impact of oil activities is hard to remedy, a new sinister threat to our marine environment is being posed by the increasing activities and volume of oil extraction from offshore oil facilities. In 2011, it was the Shell Bonga spill on December 24, and on 16 January 2012, Chevron rig blowout that were monitored by very few CSOs led by ERA/FoEN. In these cases, government agencies were clearly handicapped.?
Dr. Godwin also said the organization has established an ecological school called ?Sustainability School of Ecology? with Alagoa Morris of the organization as its pioneer rector. He further called on members of civil society organizations and members of the public to avail themselves of the opportunities offered by the school to learn about their environment.
In the presentation of a ?Research report on offshore oil Exploration and Drilling? by Dr. Fidelis Allen, a lecturer with the University of Port Harcourt, five major floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels and deepwater oil fields operated by different oil companies were identified. He named them as Bonga, Erha, Akpo, Usan and Agbami operated by SNEPCO, Exxon-Mobil, Total and Chevron respectively.
Dr. Allen frowned at a situation whereby oil companies will spill oil into the environment, apologize for its spills, refute complaints of impact and refuses to pay compensation to affected communities; citing the SNEPCO spill at Bonga oil field where the company refuted complaints of impact and refused to pay $5miilion imposed on it by the government as many of such cases. He further noted that offshore oil exploration and exploitation activities have some far-reaching implications on livelihoods and the environment as it kills fish, cause marine lives to avoid offshore fields, destroys means of livelihoods, public health risks, climate change and frustrate democratic control of oil and the environment in corrupt democracies as practiced in Nigeria. His words ?Implications of the expanded offshore oil exploration and production on livelihoods and environments are; Kills fish, Causes marine live to avoid offshore fields, Destroys mean of livelihoods, Public health risks, Climate change ?internationalize environmental problem, Frustrate democratic control of oil and environment (corrupt democracy).?
The resource person, Dr. Fidelis Allen called on Civil Society Organizations to deepen their interest in offshore livelihoods and environmental issues, campaign against increase deepwater oil blocks, campaign against gas flaring and oil spill against offshore fields, ask Foreign Oil Companies (FOCs) and Local Oil Companies (LOCs) to join Offshore Pollution Liability Association (OPOL-1974), campaign for the implementation of UN business and human right principles, increase mobilization, awareness creation and work with community based groups like fishermen and farmers associations and unions to achieve set goals in this direction.
Government agencies such as the National Oil Spill Regulatory and Enforcement Agency (NOSREA) and representatives of communities, local and international civil society organization from across Nigeria shared their experiences and presented reports of oil spills in the Niger Delta during the training workshop.
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