The Niger Delta located in Nigeria has a unique geography in West Africa with extreme diversity in its species. It also has an amazingly mixed ethnic groups whose livelihoods are mostly fishing and farming. This dominance in livelihood is obvious perhaps due to the vast water bodies present in the region.
The Dilemma of Oil Discovery in the Niger Delta
For over 7 decades now, the oil exploitation activities of Shell in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have caused significant havoc to the environment despite an estimated revenue of US$600 billion (about $1,800 per person in the US) since the 1960s. Oil discovery and exploitation was perceived as a blessing to the Nation; however, it became a scary nightmare to many host communities especially people living in the Niger Delta. Community members have made continues effort to resist oil spill caused by oil companies in the region, nonetheless it seems that oil companies like Shell have always gotten away with its atrocities. Since the impact of oil spill affects everyone, it becomes necessary for community members in oil spill affected communities to galvanize more solidarity and unite towards resisting the environmental injustices of Shell.
The Niger Delta and its Oil Spill Contamination
The Niger Delta located in Nigeria has a unique geography in West Africa with extreme diversity in its species. It also has an amazingly mixed ethnic groups whose livelihoods are mostly fishing and farming. This dominance in livelihood is obvious perhaps due to the vast water bodies present in the region. After the discovery of crude oil in Ogoni located in the Niger Delta region, Shell has consistently exploited this resource without any consideration to its impact on the environment and the people living within. Arguably, Shell has always had its way due to the support of the Nigerian Government. Irrespective of whose support shell has received, the company has been unfair to the people and the environment. In fact, the implication of oil spill was clearly studied in a 2011 UNEP environmental assessment report which showed an average life expectancy of less than 50 years and a high cancer vulnerability amongst residents of Ogoni community in Niger Delta.
Manipulations by Shell to boycott oil spill pollution
Historically, oil spill in the Niger Delta has faced strong resistance by community members, unfortunately Shell has always gotten away with its unworldly act. In January 2024, Shell announced the sale of its onshore asset worth $1.3bn to a consortium –Rennaissance. This was a deliberate attempt to escape its decades of aggregated oil spill liabilities. Although recent reports claims that the deal hasn’t been approved by the Nigerian Government, clearly it shows Shell’s non-interest for accountability and a greedy appeal for profits at the expense of the environment and the people.
Community effort to stop oil spill
Members of the oil spill affected communities have tried several measures to stop the unfair practices of shell, yet it seems the problems increasingly persist. In the last 5 decades, a series of protests have been led by environmental activists against oil spills in the region, notably attracting the attention of the big international community in 1993. Sadly, Shell has intentionally failed to account for and compensate for the oil spill it has caused. Litigation has also been another effort used by the Niger Delta indigenes against Shell. A study by Action Aid in 2020 showed that communities in the region have used litigation to demand compensation from Shell. The judiciary system in Nigeria has done little in addressing the oil spills and enforcing Shell to clean up its oil spills in the Niger Delta. However, an appeal was made to the UK justice which got Shell agreeing to pay £55million as compensation. Sadly, the money doesn’t address the problem at hand. Irrespective of the constant manipulation of Shell to escape its liabilities, communities have remained hopeful and pragmatic to prevent further pollution and restore the rich biodiversity of their land. Most recently, more than 1,200 community representatives from the Niger Delta requested the Federal High Court in Abuja to halt Shell from the planned selling of its onshore asset, emphasizing that the act was in violation to a December 2023 ruling prohibited the company from any asset sale until a compensation lawsuit was agreed. The communities have accused shell of causing an oil spill that damaged their water ways and livelihoods, hence requested $310 million as compensation.
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How can communities further unite to stop oil spill and restore the Niger Delta?
Oil spills caused by Shell have come at a great cost; increased environmental deterioration, loss of lives, loss of livelihoods, and many other environmental implications. In fact, a UNEP environmental assessment carried out in Ogoni land uncovers severe health problems associated with oil spills including cancer. The report highlights that the high risk of cancer is due to the very high concentration of Benzene in drinking water that comes from oil spills.
Nonetheless, there are still great chances stop oil spills and protect the lives of both the existing and future generations particularly in the Niger Delta region. Achieving this goal requires a strategic climate justice approach involving people united by a common interest in acting. Certainly, ending fossil fuels and oil spills requires the collaborative effort of various groups. These groups involve religious leaders including Christianity, Islam, traditional worshippers, amongst others, as well as youth groups, women associations, community heads, traditional leaders, trade unions, amongst others. This approach has been effectively used by other organizations to address climate injustice globally. For example, Greenfaith is an example of an organization that has adopted the multi-faith approach for climate justice activism. Greenfaith is a global multi-faith organization that is organizing grassroots communities against environmental injustice and fossil fuels across the world. The organization adopts the strategy of community circles whereby Project Affected Persons (PAPs) whose livelihoods, health and environment are threatened, get a strong platform to speak up and halt the atrocities of the fossil fuels companies. These circles are currently spread across many African countries including Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, DRC, amongst others. These community members, irrespective of their faith affiliations, are motivated to resist a common enemy whose impacts affects all.
Companies like Shell have proved beyond reasonable doubt that profit is a priority to them even at the expense of humanity. Irrespective of the religious affiliation of members of the oil spill affected communities, the impacts of oil spill threaten everyone. Hence adopting a multi-faith circle approach that strengthens unity for climate justice will further galvanize ongoing effort by community members to resist the manipulations of Shell and permanently stop oil spills in the region. Indeed, this approach is a positive step towards achieving sustainable development.
Aliyu Sadiq is an A-winning environmentalist, climate justice advocate, geographer, and social entrepreneur.
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