...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................
You need Java to see this applet.
Haiti 125x125
African Examiner online
Newspapers
Online media
Custom Search
*Your name:
*Your email address:
*Location:
Subject
Pls. do not change the displayed subject's text, it
will help us to quickly post your comment
*Comments:
*Mandatory
Please use the form below to send in your comment about this story. Make
it clean. Our Editors will remove  all vulgar and abusive languages
(Note: valid e-mail is required but will not be published)
Join us on
Cartoon
Our Contents
Book Review
Short Story
Séance: “The Tree of Life”
Azure sky romanced sweet soothing
Atlantic sea breeze whispering and
distilling through dancing palm and/
Speaking
For The
Generati
ons - An
Anthology
of
Contempor
ary African/
Join us on
Copyrights 2007  All Rights Reserved African Examiner Online (www.africanexaminer.com.)
P. O. Box 11582 Baltimore, MD, 21229, USA
More on African Examiner
Int'l organisations
Media Network
ONETRAVEL.COM New Year 468x60
Oludare Sunday Fase
Oludare Sunday Fase
Publisher/Editor-in-chief
editor@africanexaminer.com
443-904-1239
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The African Examiner.com
African Examiner
Photo Gallery
Get our free Newsletter
*Email Address
AKANIMO SAMPSON, August 6, 2010
Niger Delta: Work Shop Scores Nigeria low on Environment
THE Federal Government of Nigeria on Thursday, came under severe fire in Benin City, the
Edo State capital, over the management of environmental human rights issues in the country,
particularly in the Niger Delta, the main oil and gas region.

Apparently shaken by the emerging realities, participants at the workshop, called on citizens to
monitor their environment more keenly in a bid to avoid massive lost of lives and valuable
property.

This is one of the notable results of the workshop that was organised by the management of
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria [ERA/FoEN] on August 4-5, 2010 in
Benin City.

Our correspondent who covered the event reports that it was an intensive training workshop
on the relevance of environmental/human rights field monitoring in advocacy. It attracted key
Executive Managers of the environmental Rights advocacy group, some Legal luminaries, top
media practitioners and field monitors across the country.

The workshop which was declared open by the Executive Director of ERA, Nnimmo Bassey, on
Wednesday, observed that 50 years after Nigeria’s independence, the country’s environment
is still suffering from threats, human rights violations, arrest and detentions, maiming and
sometimes death.

These threats to life and property, according to them, frequently have adverse effects on
farmlands, farms and marine life.

On a regional level, they noted that environmental degradation in the Niger Delta is playing
out through oil spills, gas flaring, pollution, deforestation, illegal logging; while in the North
desertification and illegal mining are common features; and in the South East, through various
forms of erosion menace.

It was also observed that unlike others, ERA’s field monitoring has been participatory.
Participants pointed out that the involvement of victims and experts in identifying problems and
solutions is different from having a team of experts who visit communities without taking inputs
from the people concerned.

After a robust debate that was moderated by Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, ERA's Director of
Programmes and Administration, there was a consensus of opinion that environmental field
monitoring is of high relevance to environmental human rights protection in the country.

''Environmental monitoring should be a concern of all citizens and not for field monitors alone'',
the workshop said. Participants also declared that monitoring is relevant to document the state
of environmental impacts which is the level of changes/harm to people/livelihood/the
ecosystem.

They amplified the ERA mantra: 'All ecosystems are human ecosystems''. Further, they
submitted that conducting field monitoring helps to provide alternative views that are authentic
and mirrors the reality; uncover cover up of spill; denial of responsibility and what to look out
for in the monitored environment.

The workshop affirms that field monitors play the role of the environmental police or
watchdogs or whistle blowers. That they are relevant in raising awareness on environmental
issues, advocacy and policy briefs so that government will make laws to protect the
environment.

Participants acknowledged that ERA/FoEN played pivotal role in the country in the field on
environmental rights advocacy. Their tactics and method do not appear to go down well with
the extractive industry who were identified as prime offenders in the environmental
despoliation of the country.

One of the participants claimed that the Anglo-Dutch oil and gas major, Shell, in one of their
seminars he attended in Warri, Delta Stat, had labeled ERA among those they classified as
‘busy bodies’.

Undeterred, the workshop acknowledged that ERA's environmental field monitoring and
advocacy activities since the 1990s have brought increased awareness to communities,
community and civil society groups that led to a lot of declarations such as the Kaiama
Declaration of the Ijaw Youths, as working documents for change.

Participants also noted the fact that women of the Niger Delta now express themselves on
environmental/human right issues which hitherto was not so.

''Field monitoring and advocacy on the harmful effects of gas flaring forced government to set
deadline in principle to stop gas flare in Nigeria. Today the issues has gone beyond the Niger
Delta, it is global'', participants said, adding, ''as an organization, ERA won a landmark victory
in court against Shell that, gas flaring is illegal and violates human rights''.

In addition, oil companies that fail to disclose oil spill within 24 hours of their occurrence now
runs foul of the law, and liable for a fine one million naira.      

On some specific examples of impacts of field monitoring, the workshop listed as follows:

* Shell’s replacement of old, rusty pipes that has been the cause of series of spills at JK4
[Edagberi community in 2000 onwards especially 2010],Ahoade West Local Government Area
of Rivers State [about 3 kilometers] is an impact from ERA’s field reports and advocacy.

* Shell commenced a cleanup of spill sites at Ikarama community (2009/2010), even those spill
sites that had been forgotten by community folks and, including those Shell claimed to have
been cleaned up [which ERA exposed as not done at all], is another impact of ERA’s field
monitoring efforts and relentless advocacy for change.

* Agip’s mobilization to clamp a spill site that lasted for about two months[ at Kalaba community
in 2009] five days after ERA’s field monitoring report and advocacy; is an impact of our efforts
in the field.

*Agip’s mobilization to clamp a gas leak spot at Kalaba community [in June,2010] a week after
ERA’s reports [including visiting with the press]; considering the fact that the leakage had
lasted about three weeks before ERA’s intervention, is an impact of our field monitoring and
advocacy.

* Unlike the other oil spills and gas leakage along Agip’s facility that lasted two months [or a
month]at Kalaba community before Agip clamped [following ERA’s intervention], Agip mobilized
to site and clamped the latest gas/oil leak site at Ikarama just within four days after ERA’s
intervention (July 2010. This is an impact of our efforts in field monitoring and advocacy.

* Unlike the oil spills that had earlier occurred at Kalaba community which compensation are
yet to be paid, Agip has paid compensation (through inadequate) to the community in relation
to the spill that lasted for about two months [it occurred last year but compensation was paid
first quarter of 2010].This is a direct consequence of ERA’s field monitoring and advocacy.

* For a member of the National Assembly to call ERA and say that he has read about oil spills
at Ikarama in the dailies and was willing to bring the issue of environmental rights and
livelihood concerns on the floor of the House [in July,2010] is a clear Testimony that ERA’s
field monitoring and advocacy is having impact. Yes, Hon. Warman Ogoriba[ representing
Yenagoa/Kolokuma Federal constituency (Bayelsa state) at the House of Representatives]
reached out to ERA’s field monitor quoted in the dailies via the number: 08033121111, on the
1st of July, 2010. A similar situation has occurred in Edo state following ERA field monitoring to
NNPC oil leak in Urhokousa community.  

* As a direct consequence of ERA’s field monitoring and advocacy for environmental justice,
the oil companies have been inundated with calls from journalists and other stakeholders,
hence the companies make related statements more often, i.e to comment on specific
incidences of spills and communities.

* Following field monitoring and campaign on gas flaring a process of ending the obnoxious
practice is being discussed though the oil companies continue to buy time through delayed
actions

* Field monitoring and awareness raising among policy makers has resulted in increased
environmental bills at the national assembly.

It was, however, gathered that there were other specific impacts that are yet to be made public
by the environmental rights advocacy group./