Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has commenced a training programme on how to present a unified front when requesting environmental justice from oil multinational corporations.

Development Diaries reports that the training is aimed at reflecting on certain aspects of what community members should know so as to come together to push for a healthy, clean and deserving environment.

According to the organisation’s Programme Manager, Stephen Oduwari, oil-ravaged communities pay heavy price for oil exploration and exploitation.

In light of the purported divide-and-rule strategies employed by the majority of International Oil Companies (IOCs) to avoid being held accountable for environmental crimes, HOMEF stated that communities ought to concentrate on uniting in opposition to such a conspiracy.

Recent data released by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) shows that Rivers State was the worst hit with oil spillage, as 2,780 barrels of crude oil were spilled in the state in 67 incidents between January and August 2023.

Crude oil from the Niger Delta supplied the vast bulk of Nigeria’s export revenue for many years. However, the 30 million people living in the area continue to be at risk of death due to pollution caused by frequent oil spills.

‘There have been a series of oil spills in the Eteo community and it calls for serious action. This is because most of these oil-ravaged communities pay heavy price for oil exploration and exploitation’, Oduwari said.

‘They pay with their health and livelihoods because they have been bombarded from the air with gas flaring, from the land pollution in their farms, and pollution in their water.

‘So they have lost a lot. This has reduced the life expectancy of people living in this region. So, the idea is to build community power for resilience and solidarity to amplify their voices’,

Photo source: Friends of the Earth International