A Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to immediately halt all divestment of oil assets initiated by oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region.
Their call was made during a press briefing held in Abuja.
The petitions titled: ‘Urgent call to halt all divestment in the Niger Delta, including Shell’s refused sale of SPDC shares’ were separately sent to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dated 16th December, 2024 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tajudeen Abbas, dated 18th December, 2024, respectively.
The Founder of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Mr. Nnimmo Bassey expressed grave concerns over the fate of millions of Nigerians’ impacted negatively by the exploration of crude oil across the oil producing communities as well as the environment.
“We are here as representatives of Nigerian society organizations, community leaders, and concerned citizens to address a grave and urgent issue that threatens not only the people of the Niger Delta but the environmental and economic interests of Nigeria and the social future of all Nigerians.
“We are, again, compelled to raise our voices against the ongoing and potentially catastrophic divestment process by International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the Niger Delta, particularly Shell’s proposed sale of its remaining shares in Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance consortium. This proposed sale and similar divestment efforts by companies like TotalEnergies, would undermine national interests, as we have communicated in the past, and as the House of Representatives acknowledged.”
Urgency of the Situation:
A few days ago, we were alarmed to learn that President Bola Tinubu, under pressure from Shell and their home government, has ordered the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to approve Shell’s sale of its remaining shares in SPDC to the Renaissance consortium. Despite the NUPRC’s initial rejection of this sale based on legitimate concerns, President Tinubu appears to be moving swiftly towards approving these divestments, bypassing the valid and urgent concerns raised by the National Assembly and the Nigerian people.
“That is why we are calling on the National Assembly to prevail on President Tinubu to respect the voice of the people and halt all further IOC divestment requests until significant matters of national concern are addressed” Mr. Bassey said.
He said that the key concerns of the group are the Environmental Liabilities of the International Oil Companies.
“The environmental consequences of decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta are undeniable and devastating. Shell and other IOCs have left behind a legacy of pollution, oil spills, gas flaring, and environmental degradation that has poisoned the land, air, and water across the region. These companies have caused widespread destruction, including:
Water contamination: The poisoning of rivers, streams, and groundwater with dangerous levels of hydrocarbons, making drinking water sources unsafe for human consumption.
“Soil degradation: Continuous oil spills have rendered vast expanses of farmland infertile, exacerbating food insecurity and livelihood destruction for local farming communities.
“Loss of biodiversity: Oil spills have killed marine life and destroyed entire ecosystems, resulting in the loss of biodiversity that is essential for the economic and cultural survival of the Niger Delta communities” he said.
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He noted that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has provided alarming figures on the extent of the contamination in the Niger Delta.
“In Ogoniland, UNEP showed that benzene levels were found to be 900 times higher than the safe limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“This toxic substance is known to cause cancer and other serious health issues. Similarly, in Bayelsa, chromium levels in the environment are over 1,000 times the WHO limits, leading to severe pollution of water sources and a public health crisis. These findings underscore the urgent need for a thorough cleanup and remediation before any further divestments are allowed.
Health Impacts on Local Communities
According to Mr Bassey “Local communities are enduring a health crisis as a direct result of oil pollution. According to the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission’s (BSOEC) report, toxic substances from oil pollution, such as total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and heavy metals (HMs), have infiltrated the air, water, and soil across the region. These pollutants have led to widespread respiratory issues, cancers, skin diseases, and other serious health conditions. As a result, many communities in the Niger Delta are suffering from illnesses that are directly tied to oil pollution, including respiratory diseases, skin conditions, and cancers”.
He stressed that the long-term health impacts of exposure to toxins have worsened over the years, with limited medical resources available for affected communities.
Environmental damage
In the same vein, the Executive Director Tubali Women Initiative, Mrs Hauwa Mustapha, said that the environmental damage in the Niger Delta region was much worse and has spanned decades.
She said that the divestment of international oil companies would mean transferring their responsibilities to Nigeria.
“Based on the UNEP and BSOEC reports, it would take about $100 billion to address the environmental damage in the entire Niger Delta comprehensively. Therefore, to allow Shell, TotalEnergies, or any other company to walk away from their responsibilities would mean transferring these liabilities to the Nigerian state, the Niger Delta states, and the Nigerian people. This is an unjust and unsustainable burden that would further exacerbate the challenges faced by communities already suffering from the effects of pollution and environmental neglect.
“Failure of Past Asset Sales to Address Environmental Damage: The experiences from past asset sales by Shell, ENI/AGIP, ExxonMobil, and other IOCs have demonstrated a disturbing trend of companies walking away from their environmental responsibilities” Mrs Mustapha said.
She added that the failed investment by some IOC has set a dangerous precedent and left behind unresolved liabilities and environmental devastation as well as environmental injustice leading to human rights violations.
Also at the press briefing held in Abuja, the Programmes Coordinator, Social Action Nigeria, Mr. Isaac Botti, said that the local population faces mounting economic costs as health issues continue to diminish their ability to work and sustain their families, further deepening poverty in an already impoverished region.
The group added that they are committed to continuing their advocacy and look forward to the leadership of the National Assembly in ensuring a just, sustainable, and prosperous future for all Nigerians.
Emmanuel Ukoh
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