Port Harcourt — The Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development, CEHRD, has urged the Federal government to prevail on Shell, to restore the Niger Delta environment to the way it was pre-oil exploration activities in the 1950s, before the company can divest its onshore assets.
The group, during a media parley with the theme, ‘Shell Divestment and Environmental Accountability: The Role of Media’ held in Port Harcourt, also urged the government to halt any divestment process by Shell, and ensure that the divestment process benefits the host communities, reminding the government that their primary duty was to protect the interest of its citizens.
The Chairman of CERHD, Chief Constance Meju, called for an environmental impact assessment and audit of Shell facilities, noting that Shell facilities were now old and obsolete, having been installed since the 1960s, which explains the recurring oil spillages from their facilities.
Meju also explained that the CERHD was not against divestment, but there should be Niger Delta environment must be restored before any discussions on divestment.
She said: “Shell is not yet ready for divestment going by the standard of NUPRC. Some criteria must be met before approvals are given for divestment. The communities are not even aware of this divestment. The government must not fool the Niger Delta people. We are not saying that Shell should not divest, but they must restore the environment and livelihoods before divesting.
“There should be an environmental impact assessment and audit of their facilities because most of these Shell facilities are old and worn out, which is why there have been a lot of spillages.
“The government must compel Shell to do the right thing. And Shell too should apply international best practices in their businesses here in Nigeria, just the same way they do in their home country.”Also speaking, the Coordinator of CERHD, Dr Nabie Nubari Francis, demanded a thorough pre-divestment assessment which would cover the environment, livelihoods and health audit of the Niger Delta people.
Nabie said the media parley was imperative to amplify the voice of host communities on the issue of divestment, adding that CEHRD had earlier engaged with civil society before now, all geared towards compelling Shell and the government to do the right thing.
“Communities over the years have been undermined by IOCs, the Niger Delta environment has been so polluted and devastated, there has been a loss of livelihoods and the health of the people have been undermined, yet, there has not been any corresponding remedy to these problems.
“The IOCs who are behind these woes are now divesting, but the question is, what about the health and degraded environment? Has there been any pre-divestment assessment? Who is buying? What about the equipment’s integrity? Have the communities been consulted? What they call divestment is actually a criminal flight. The company buying SPDC is championed by a former MD of Shell.
“Communities must be carried along because they are the affected people. We are only saying that Shell should not divest without consulting the people and in consulting people, the communities must be made to understand the impact, so Shell should rise to the occasion and take responsibility for the negative impact of their operations.
“The government should play their role because its primary responsibility is to protect lives and properties and not to partner with Shell to further destroy the environment. The government should x-ray the divestment process and facilitate a process that will benefit the people, until then the process should be put on halt,” he said.
Earlier, an environmental analyst, Dr Wilson Komi, said a strong regulatory framework for divestment should be readily available otherwise Nigeria will keep making mistakes.
According to him, the process of Shell divestment should be halted until a legal framework is established.
This article was originally posted at sweetcrudereports.com
Be the first to comment