NDAC: Group Charges FG For Accountability, Demands Immediate Comprehensive Audit Of The Nigeria Delta Region.

Photo caption: Gbenemene and Kasimene Bangha VII of Ogoniland, HRM Mene Dr Suanu Timothy Yormaadam Baridam JP

By Precious Ahiakwo

Environmental Activists in the Niger Delta region have raised concerns over what they termed backwardness and underdevelopment of the region in the past sixty-five years.

The concerns were raised at the Second Niger Delta Alternative Convergence, NDAC, with support from Oil Watch Africa and HOMEF, held in Port Harcourt.

Convener of the meeting, a renowned environmental activist and the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, Nimmo Bassey, in his opening remarks expressed concerns that the government have not shown accountability in the past years in the region.

He said the conference provides a platform for the people in the Niger Delta to discuss the way forward in their pursuit for harmony and progress of the region.

“We gathered today to agree on steps going forward. The problems of Nigeria have refused to disappear principally because for 65 years there is no definite step taken by governing structures at the federal or state level to hold polluters accountable. We have only seen a bit of this in the Ogoni situation where the polluter was made to pay for the environmental assessment as well as the commencement of the clean up.”

Nimmo Bassey also made demand for a comprehensive audit of the entire Niger Delta region as it affects health, livelihoods, social and economic impacts of crude oil and gas extraction.

“We demand the Immediate review of the NDDC Act and the release of the forensic audit ordered by the outgoing government. The administration of the 13 percent derivation fund should also be designed to be transparent, inclusive, and fair to impacted communities.

“An immediate comprehensive audit of the entire region Niger Delta covering health, livelihoods, social and economic impacts of crude oil and gas extraction.

Remediation and restoration impacted territories and reparations for the damage suffered.

“Legislators to ensure the review of the Petroleum Industry Act, to eliminate the criminalization of communities and removing vestiges of colonial authorities given to oil companies to determine who the host communities are and to rig the arrangement for developmental supports of the communities.

“responses to climate change impacts including by setting up mechanisms for emergency response to floods, shoreline protection, restoration of mangrove forests, halting of deforestation and proper urban and rural planning.

“Adequate protection of our coastal communities and continental shelf for the security of maritime transportation as well as fishing activities by our peoples. A comprehensive energy transition plan that ensures popular ownership and control of such clean energy systems”.

On his part, the National Publicity Secretary of Pan-Niger Delta Forum PANDEF Ken Robinson expresses deep concerns on the lack of attentiveness of the governments for the 2023 flooding. He said the government has failed to budget for the natural disaster.

“On issues of flooding, that of this year is coastal flooding because of the surge of the sea level. No provisions have been made in the budget for the flooding for this year. We need to put our government on alert to ensure that measures are put in place for the people.”

In his own speech, Proffesor Sofiri Peterside expressed worries that the International Oil Companies (IOCs) are selling onshore assets in the region and leaving without fundamentally addressing the legacies of environmental pollution, violation of fundamental human rights, and social strife, created by over six decades.

He said he is saddened that “The implication that flows from this is that the prevailing unacceptable harsh living conditions of indigenes and residents of host communities will continue, if not make worse because of fewer options to seek accountability and justice in international courts.”

Our correspondent reports that the Chairman of the occasion, HRH Alabo Dagogo Fubara who was represented by HRH Suanu Baridam said there was a need to take the issues raised in the manifesto seriously as the region has found itself where indigents were in a situation to be wiped out one after the other.