A group of 12 civil society organisations (CSOs) has urged the government of Nigeria to take urgent steps to stop the spate of illegal artisanal refining in the country’s Niger Delta.
The group made the call following the deadly explosion that rocked an artisanal refining site near Ohaji-Egbema in Imo State on 23 April, 2022.
According to official records, over 100 persons died as a result of the explosion, with dozens injured. The explosion also burnt off large sections of the adjoining forest, seriously impacting the environment and wildlife
In a statement, the group, including Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Popular Participation Africa (CAPPA) and We The People (WTP), argued that artisanal refineries have expanded ‘principally because government has failed in its responsibilities’.
The group is also made up of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Green Alliance of Nigeria, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Policy Alert, HOPE and Environmental Rights Action.
Others include Women Development Resource Centre, Centre for Media Environment and Development Communications, and Women Initiative for Climate Change.
‘The millions of barrels of crude oil routinely spilled into the rivers, swamps and lands of the region, and the constant flaring of associated gas have rendered the lands, forests, and rivers unproductive, making traditional income generating vocations of the people unviable’, the statement read.
‘As civil society organisations concerned about the lives, livelihoods, and environment of the people, we are deeply concerned that in recent times, these explosions have become more regular and routine.
‘While we call on the government to take steps to stop the spate of illegal artisanal refining in the region, we are mindful that this should not be seen as a new opportunity to further
entrench the militarisation of the region and abuse community rights.
‘It is also important to mention that irrefutable evidence points to the active complicity of law enforcement officers in establishing and running artisanal refineries and by extension oil theft and the so-called third-party interferences’.
Although the Niger Delta is a petroleum-rich subregion that generates nearly 80 percent of Nigeria’s revenue, data from the Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) shows that over 60 percent of the area’s youths are unemployed.
Photo source: WTP
