People
of Nembe in Nembe Local Government of Bayelsa State, on Tuesday
demanded $1bn (about N160bn) compensation from Shell Petroleum
Development Company and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company over devastation
of their environment.
The people made the request in a petition they sent to the United Nations.
In the document dated April 16 and
signed by the Chairman and the Secretary of the Nembe Oil and Gas
Committee, Chief Nengi James and Francis Furo, respectively, the people
lamented the many years of gas flaring in their community.
According to them, gas flaring, oil
spillages and dumping of industrial wastes in their environment, have
reduced their lifespan.
The people, while calling for equity and
justice in the management of the resources in their environment, also
decried the lack of basic facilities in their community despite
contributing over 200,000 barrels to the daily national oil production.
Besides pollution and the lack of
accessible roads, they also complained of their non-linkage to the
national grid for electricity supply.
The petition also copied the National
Assembly read, “We, the people of Nembe Kingdom have a cause to cry out
loud to you, because, we are seriously aggrieved over the shoddy
treatment meted to us by the oil companies operating in our land.
“If we fail to call your attention to
our plight now, there is the likelihood that we may not be able to tell
our story after some years as we may have been slowly exterminated by
the effects of oil spills, gas flaring and improper disposal of toxic
wastes and materials in our kingdom.
“As a result of gas flaring, frequent
oil spillages and dumping of industrial toxic wastes, the lifespan of
the average Nembe man and woman has been drastically reduced to 40
years. This is just too low and calls for serious investigation.
“We want the United Nation to come to
our kingdom for investigation and analysis of the environment and
subject their findings to high-level expert interpretations and
opinions.
“These tests and analysis must encompass
our land, rivers, creeks, streams, oil spill sites, toxic waste dumping
sites and even the air we breathe so that, the truth of our claims
would be made manifest for the indictment of the oil companies
involved.”
“It is also our demand that there should
be an end to gas flaring, as we are tired of putting up with its
dangers and negative effects all these years. Besides, we want a total
clean up of our environment including our rivers, forests; creeks;
streams and land to enable people to lead the lives.
“We also want the United Nations to
prevail on these oil companies to pay Nembe Kingdom $1bn for all the
damage done to our environment and people all these years for their act
of negligence, impunity and atrocities.
“In fact, the impunity and audacity with
which the oil companies have been carrying out their duties in our
environment, with no regard to the people that inhabit the area is a
gross violation of the United Nations declaration of Human Rights and
the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights.”
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