Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative on Wednesday held a One-Day Local Community Dialogue on Divestment and Environmental Remediation.
The dialogue also focused on Pre-COP29 Expectations from Impacted Local Communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region.
This is contained in a communique issued by the Executive Director of Connected Advocacy, Prince Israel Orekha, and made available to news in Lagos.
Orekha said that the dialogue dwelt on Climate Change adaptability and sustainable solutions in communities and sites of oil extraction.
According to him, the dialogue was convened to address the worsening climate change issues bedeviling communities in sites of petroleum extraction.
“This is with a view to develop local solutions via adaptation and sustainability of the environment, livelihoods and the entire ecosystem.
“To address the historical age long pollution spanning over seven decades, and to share these findings with the international community.
“And to demand fair and just climate financing at COP29 which will hold at Baku, Azerbaijan, later in the year,” Orekha said.
He added that the dialogue was attended by people from all works of life including. traditional rulers, community heads, youths and women groups, scholars and the media.
Delivering his goodwill message at the event, Chief Digitonin Kientei, regretted that the knowledge and enlightenment from the dialogue came to him and his community at a point when oil companies were running away from their responsibilities to the communities and sites of extraction.
Kientel thanked the organizers for opening their eyes to the danger ahead, and assured that steps would be taken to hold IOCs accountable, no matter the time it takes.
His Royal Highness David Osene Osene said that the dialogue is an eye opener,.
The royal father wandered why the knowledge was hidden from community members all these while, he wondered if the adverse health effect on human lives can be remediated.
He noted that the divestment is real and communities are not aware of what is going on.
He called on the executive director of Connected Advocacy to do more, engage the relevant IOCs and government agencies alongside the community people.
He advocated for an engagement with the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to register the health implications and ecocide damages suffered.
Resolutions
Shell’s divestment strategy in the Niger Delta is perceived as an effort to evade accountability for the environmental harm caused by its long-term oil activities.
By selling its shareholding in SPDC to Nigerian firms, Shell aims to distance itself from the significant costs of cleaning up pollution and compensating affected communities.
The lack of transparency in the shareholding and asset transfer process heightens these concerns.
Local companies’ takeover of these assets threatens to exacerbate the already critical pollution issues, as these companies may deny responsibility for remediating sites devastated by Shell over the past decades.
Any hasty divestment by Shell risks worsening the environmental degradation and undermines the pursuit of justice and fair compensation for the communities impacted by Shell’s operations.
Ultimately, Shell’s divestment approach appears to be a strategic withdrawal from its responsibilities, potentially burdening the region and its inhabitants with the enduring effects of its operational legacy
Environmental Liability and Cleanup:
The divestment raises critical questions about responsibility for past and ongoing environmental damages due to oil pollution. With assets changing hands, there is concern about the commitment of new local owners to address legacy pollution issues and invest in necessary cleanup and remediation efforts.
Community Impact and Voice:
Shell’s proposed sale and or application of shares in SPDC, like with previous sale of asset ownership to Nigerian firms, adversely diminishes the local communities’ advantage in addressing the many concerns through legal and other channels.
The Nembe experience, where Shell’s divestment to Aiteo sparked debates over ongoing pollution responsibility and cleanup adequacy, exemplifies the need for more transparent and community-inclusive divestment processes.
The Ikarama community is also one of the communities where the voices of the people have long been silenced with overwhelming adverse environmental destruction and impact.
Social Liabilities:
The longstanding violent conflicts and destructions in communities like Nembe, Rumuekpe, Umuechem and others occasioned by oil-related discrepancies highlight the intricate relationship between communities and transnational oil and gas companies.
The contentious awarding of cleanup contracts and oil spill management has often intensified these tensions, underscoring the necessity for equitable and transparent divestment.
Regulatory Oversight and Legal Clarity
The minimal involvement of regulatory bodies in supervising asset transactions and ensuring the addressing of environmental liabilities raises alarms about the efficacy of existing frameworks to safeguard community rights and ecological integrity amidst divestment.
The 2021 Nembe Santa Barbara Well blowout, and the pressing need for explicit legal stipulations regarding pre divestment pollution liability.
Livelihoods and Water Destructions:
Over the years, communities in sites of extractions have suffered diminishing and lost agricultural seedlings and altered periodic farming years, thereby increasing hunger and widespread poverty, water bodies have been destroyed due to the operation of the extraction and exploration.
Full Beneficial Ownership Disclosure
Participants at the local dialogue frowned at the way and manner in which shareholders/beneficial ownership disclosures of the IOCs are handled, participants demanded full disclosure even to the least 0.5% shareholding in any IOC as this will fast track accountability and transparency in the demand for fair and adequate compensation to affected communities and persons.
Key Recommendations
Transparent Resolution of Historical Liabilities
It is paramount that Divestment process clearly outline their commitments to remediate environmental damage and resolve community disputes as integral components of the divestment agreement. This includes comprehensive cleanup of polluted sites and equitable compensation for affected communities.
Regulatory Oversight and Accountability
The divestment process must be underpinned by strengthened regulatory frameworks that ensure stringent compliance with environmental and social standards.
This entails the prior establishment of rigorous monitoring mechanisms, independent audits, and enforceable penalties for non-compliance.
Community Engagement and Compensation
The divestment plan must ensure meaningful engagement with affected communities, incorporating their input and addressing their concerns transparently. Fair compensation and remediation commitments must be clearly defined and adhered to, reflecting a genuine commitment to redress past injustices.
Assessment of New Operators’ Capabilities:
The Nigerian regulatory authorities must rigorously assess the technical, financial, and managerial capacities of the Renaissance consortium to address the Niger Delta’s environmental challenges responsibly.
This assessment should include a clear plan for spill prevention, emergency response, and environmental restoration.
Halt on Divestment
Given the significant risks and concerns associated with the divestment, participants advocate for an immediate halt to the process. The Nigerian authorities should not approve the divestment until a comprehensive and transparent framework, acceptable to the affected communities and civil society observers, is established, addressing all environmental and social liabilities to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, including affected communities
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Establishment of an Environmental Restoration Fund
A dedicated fund, contributed to by Shell, the Renaissance consortium, and potentially international partners, should be established specifically for environmental restoration and community development projects in the Niger Delta. This fund should be managed transparently, with active participation from community representatives and environmental experts.
Conclusion
The proposed divestment of Shell’s onshore operations in the Niger Delta represents a critical opportunity to address the longstanding environmental and social challenges that have plagued the region.
However, this opportunity must not be squandered by a hasty or inadequately planned divestment process.
The local dialogue called on the regulators to halt the divestment until a clear, comprehensive, and accountable plan is in place, ensuring that the legacies of pollution and community disenfranchisement are effectively addressed.
Only through a responsible and transparent divestment process, underpinned by robust regulatory oversight and genuine community engagement, can the Niger Delta begin to heal and move towards a sustainable and equitable future.
