Niger Delta Communities in Akwa Ibom, Rivers Unite to Engage Oil Companies on Environmental Restoration

… Receive Training from HOMEF

By Ekemini Simon

The communities of Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State and Joinkrama in Rivers State have agreed to work together in demanding from oil companies the restoration of their environment. 

While Ibeno plays host to ExxonMobil with about 90 offshore platforms comprising of 300 producing wells at the capacity of about 550,000 barrels of oil extracted daily, Joinkrama, a cluster of four communities, in Rivers State known in the past as a food basket serving both Rivers and Bayelsa States has 48 oil wells being exploited by Shell and producing about 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

Both communities have suffered years of deplorable health conditions and loss of livelihood occasioned by oil and gas exploration in their domain.

The resulting pollution has added to the vulnerability of host communities to climate change and the food crisis. Other impacts on the communities include flooding, coastal erosion, and sea level rise among others. 

In a joint Community Monitoring training exercise organized for both communities by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in Eket, Akwa Ibom State recently, the two communities noted that the training they have received from HOMEF have equipped  them to monitor their environment, identify environmental, socio-economic and well-being issues as well as how to unite to advocate and mobilize for change in their communities.

In his remark, Sunday Dressman from Joinkrama stated the plight of his community following their lack of preparedness to the happening in the community.

He said “My people are enlightened by this capacity building meeting. We came as a group to gain from this training and we are going back home to step it down to enable us to engage the polluters properly. I make a commitment to first engage with my community chief and to enlighten him on the benefits the community stands to gain when we identify problems, ask the right questions and proffer solutions. 

“We have suffered from flooding and pollution, and it is time to let them know what is happening while we prepare them for what is to come in future.”

Chief Specialist Effanga of Ibeno community while appreciating the organisation for its good initiative in exposing them to the complexity of the ecological challenges affecting the community, stated, “We will go back to form a formidable force with our people and also connect with the Joinkrama people to  approach the highest court of the land and demand justice. 

“We will toe the path of non-violence and will dialogue with them till they accept their wrong and begin to put in place measures to ensure that our land is completely clean, and our livelihoods are restored.”

Another member of the Ibeno community, Emmanuel Akpan, stated, “the problem we have had before now was not having a right channel, but with the experience and teachings we have had here, our  eyes are opened to know the right demand to make and actions to take. 

“We will engage the government and our oppressors using the right media. ExxonMobil has enslaved us for long but it is time to take up active advocacy in demanding for the restoration of our environment. We have suffered from cancers, respiratory diseases and other ailments while we lack basic essential amenities that we ought to have.”

On his part, the Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, said the monitoring training was designed  to give the communities the basic tools and knowledge on how to defend their environments and by extension their health and livelihoods. 

Bassey expressed  displeasure over the situation in both Ibeno and Joinkrama noting that it shows abject abandonment of a very accommodating people.

He added ” Their situation cannot continue to be one by which they are remembered only for exploitation of resources and extraction of votes during elections. There are key oil and gas issues in these areas and there have been notable oil spills over the decades, human rights abuses and repression of the people. 

“We have heard from them and we encourage them to speak with one voice. They deserve to enjoy the right to a safe environment and the time for them to be heard is now.”

Ken Henshaw, the Executive Director of We the People, during his presentation stated that the Nigeria state does not care about the health and environment of its people. 

He added that oil theft and criminality are not carried out by communities hence they should not be criminalized for what they are not responsible for.

 Henshaw added “This training should charge and equip you to face the government and oil companies to demand the right thing and to demand accountability from our leaders.

“Obnoxious sections of the PIA should be changed, and corporations should not divest without taking responsibility for the damage they have wreaked on the communities.” 

He further encouraged community members to be courageous in the face of challenges stressing that it is more difficult to break a united and courageous group.

Henshaw  pointed out that the more united the people are in fighting the cause, the more it is easy for them to achieve a better result.

The dialogue and training sessions created platforms for convergence of communities in the region to have actionable plans for needed changes through demands for legislative changes, including a review of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, halting of gas flaring, ensuring justice in divestment processes and demanding reparations and re-source democracy.

 The communities demanded audits that would cover environmental, livelihoods, health, social and economic impacts of crude oil and gas extraction, which should be immediately followed by the remediation and restoration of their communities and the entire Niger Delta region.