The Environmental Defenders Network, EDEN, has offered legal support to any community that is against divestment by oil multinationals without clean-up, remediation and compensation.

The environmental rights organisation made the pledge during the Board of Trustees, management and staff’s inaugural retreat at its headquarters in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The retreat enabled staff to imbue themselves in the EDEN philosophy and strengthened existing bonds.

The opportunity was also used to examine progress of EDEN’s work, especially its relevance in the environment and climate space in Nigeria and globally.

The interaction also served as opportunity for the EDEN Board and staff to examine critical challenges besetting the oil belt of the Niger Delta and communities in the North where solid minerals extraction is causing environmental and health challenges among locals.

On divestment, EDEN said: “We have noticed the speed with which oil multinationals that have operated for decades in the Niger Delta are divesting from their on-shore operations and their race to the deep waters where the federal government lacks the capacity to monitor their operations.

“The flurry of approvals by the Nigerian government, which is supposed to stand for its people, continue to disregard the calls by communities impacted by the operations of these firms for environmental justice.

“We insist that no oil corporation should be allowed to divest from the delta until it takes responsibility for its toxic legacy of pollution. They must also decommission abandoned oil infrastructure.

“In similar vein, buyers of the toxic assets of the divesting firms must be compelled to accept the liabilities of the former owners of the onshore operations.

“We call for an immediate halt to the divestments, and EDEN pledges its readiness to give legal support to communities that are against divestment without clean-up, remediation and compensation.”

Also, EDEN, in a resolution signed by Chima Williams, Chairman of the Board, and Philip Jakpor, Secretary, expressed satisfaction over the Anti-Gas Flaring (Prohibition and Enforcement) bill, which had passed second reading at the House of Representatives.

Mining

Furthermore, they raised the alarm over the ills in the solid minerals extraction sector, describing it as a time bomb.

 “We have equally noticed the spate of mine collapse across the country and deaths associated with solid minerals extraction.

“In the last six months there have been about three major incidents including the Shiroro mine collapse in Niger State, which claimed about 50 lives in June 2024, the Adamawa pit collapse which claimed 30 lives and the more recent incident in Plateau State where 13 young persons died.

“Our fear that the quest to expand the nation’s revenue base through solid minerals extraction would inflict fresh wounds in our communities is manifesting by the day.

“On benefits to mining communities from mining revenues, our belief is that in a well-regulated mining sector, host communities should be entitled to a minimum of 10% of all accrued funds from mining operations.

“To avoid a repeat of the Niger Delta mistake, there should be an order for decommissioning of all mining pits/sites not later than one week after cessation of operations at the mining site.

“Failure to comply with this should be considered a criminal offence which should be punished with jail term, delicensing of a licensed lease holder and confiscation of all materials found at the site.”