A coalition of Civil Society Organisations has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to immediately halt all divestment of assets initiated by oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region.
The Niger Delta region remains the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg for Nigeria.
But agitations have not ceased about alleged neglect and degradation of its environment.
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 Organisation.
In a report by the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission, toxic substances from oil pollution, such as total petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals have infiltrated the air, water, and soil across the region.
While the toxic substance is known to cause cancer and other serious health issues, the pollutants have led to widespread respiratory issues, including skin diseases.
The activities of the multinational oil companies operating in the region have been called to question.
And now that several IOCs have left Nigeria’s shores, one group of activists working in the Niger Delta is concerned about divestment bids in the region that do not address the people’s health or environmental issues.
The coalition has asked the President and the National Assembly to intervene.
The group expresses deep concerns about the fate of millions of Nigerians negatively touched by crude oil exploration across the oil producing communities and the environment.
The coalition insists Mr. President’s directive that the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, approves Shell’s sale of its remaining shares in SPDC to the Renaissance Consortium, despite an initial rejection based on legitimate concerns, should be given a second thought
Water contamination, soil degradation and loss of biodiversity are some of their worries.
The coalition renewed commitment to continued advocacy as it looks forward to President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the national assembly in ensuring a just, sustainable and prosperous future for all citizens.
