.

By Luminous Jannamike & Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja

A civil society group, Connected Development (CODE), in partnership with Oxfam Nigeria, has called for a synergy between civil society organisations and the Federal Government to ensure a safer environment devoid of pollution, oil spillage and gas flaring in the Niger-Delta region.

The CSOs, jointly led by Hamzat Lawal (CODE) and Henry Ushie (Oxfam Nigeria), made the call during separate advocacy visits to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in Abuja.
.
Speaking at NOSDRA, the Chief Executive of CODE Hamzat Lawal, explained that the organisations have been working in the Niger Delta region on a Conflict and Fragility project, and that the visit to NOSDRA was to seek collaboration to ensure that there are less oil spills and gas flares in those communities where oil and gas operations are carried out.

He stressed that the courtesy call was also to find out if NOSDRA is making an effort to ensure that it has all of the amenities and resources to be able to combat gas flaring and oil spillage at that level.

“At the national level, what are you doing? What are the efforts you are making and how do we collaborate with you to ensure that all of these misgivings are actually curtailed? That’s part of why we are here,” he stated.

Responding, NOSDRA’s Director-General, Mr Idris Musa, noted that from 2015 to February 2022, the Agency recorded 1,086 oil spill incidents in Bayelsa state alone.

According to him, out of the 1,086 oil spill incidents, 917 were as a result of sabotage and third party breakage of pipelines with hacksaw or outright blowing up of pipelines.

He regretted that environmental issues, ecology and culture exacerbated the causes of poverty in the Niger Delta region.

Musa, nevertheless, explained that NOSDRA had been engaging in intervention, mediation, and disaster risk reduction in oil spills matters.

In the same vein, Mr Henry Ushie, OXFAM’s Project Coordinator, Fiscal Accountability for Inequality Reduction, said it is partnering with CODE to see how Nigeria’s natural resources can work for the most vulnerable in the environment and to also see how NESREA is involved in all of the conversations around zero emission, energy transition, and COP27.

“The point is that we cannot isolate ourselves from the rest of the world in terms of climate conversation. Environmental issues such as the heat, drought and erosion are here and they are affecting our people, so we can’t close our eyes against it.

“In the Niger Delta, where the oil is explored, big companies have not been able to respect global standard which is why we are advocating for the use of the framework of the United Nations Global Guiding Principles on Human Rights and Business, to look at those best practices across the world of which Nigeria has actually signed up, and to see how we can respect this international framework in terms of the Respect, Protect and Remedial Protocols.

“Besides the environmental issues of gas flaring and oil spillage there are also the economic implications. Our people depend on the environment to survive such as fishing and farming. This is the conversation we’ve brought to you,” he concluded.

In his remarks, the Director-General of NESREA, Prof. Aliyu Jauro, described oil spillage and gas flaring in the Niger Delta region as serious issues, adding that there is no way to stop these environmental problems without addressing the issues of inequality which is linked to poverty.

“Sensitization and environmental education is part of our key mandate so we are open to collaboration. The national action on the Guiding Principles are captured and issues of the environment is a human right issue. Inequality in West Africa is very high and there is a need to have a certain level of equality,” he said..

According to him, the NESREA has a lot of regulations tailored to address climate change, such as the Regulation on the Control of Emission from petrol and diesel engines, Air Quality Regulations, and Sanitation and Waste Control, noting also that they are working to develop an Agricultural Sector Regulation.

He further disclosed that the agency will be part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022.“

We are going to be part of COP27 because this Agency is key. We are ready to partner with you in the areas that are relevant to ensure that the environment is protected, as the mission of the Agency is to ensure a cleaner environment and if there is need for an MoU then we can work towards that,” he maintained.