Amnesty Demands Comprehensive Audit of Oil Pollution Across Niger Delta

Amnesty International has called on the Federal Government to conduct a comprehensive audit of environmental damage across the Niger Delta, following decades of oil pollution and environmental degradation in the region.

The human rights organisation also urged the government to strengthen regulations governing the oil and gas industry to address persistent pollution and hold companies responsible for environmental violations accountable.

The organisation made the demands on Tuesday during the presentation of a report titled “Nigeria: Lifting the Lid,” published in collaboration with a coalition of Nigerian and international environmental and human rights organisations.

Speaking with journalists after the presentation in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, Isa Sanusi, expressed concern over allegations that some employees of oil companies were involved in oil bunkering and other illegal activities.

He said the allegations required thorough investigation and called for stronger government oversight of activities within the fossil fuel industry.

Sanusi urged the Federal Government to extend environmental remediation efforts beyond Ogoniland in Rivers State to other communities affected by oil pollution across the Niger Delta.

According to him, restricting environmental audits and clean-up operations to Ogoniland would fail to address the widespread damage suffered by other communities in the region.

“We want Nigeria’s government to ensure continuous and effective oversight of the fossil fuel industry.

“We want the Nigerian government to audit all environmental incidents, not only in Ogoniland but across the entire Niger Delta. Conducting an audit in Ogoniland without extending it to the rest of the region would amount to taking the wrong approach.

“We also want a situation where, in the near future, there will be a genuine and effective clean-up of the environment,” he said.

Sanusi disclosed that Amnesty International would formally communicate with the Federal Government to demand the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report.

He also called on all fossil fuel companies operating in Nigeria to contribute to a dedicated environmental restoration fund with sufficient resources to clean up the Niger Delta in line with international standards.

He maintained that cleaning up a limited area could not be regarded as a comprehensive solution to the environmental crisis affecting the region.

Sanusi further disclosed that the organisation would write to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and submit a copy of the report to ensure that the government considers its findings and recommendations.

Meanwhile, Eva Pastorelli, a campaigner with ReCommon, an organisation campaigning against abuses of power, said the report had documented the activities of Shell in the Niger Delta over the past six decades and highlighted the company’s alleged responsibilities.

She explained that the report presented evidence suggesting that different levels of the company’s operations could be held accountable for actions and failures that contributed to environmental damage in the region.

“Through evidence-based proof, we have shown that all levels of the company could be held responsible for things they failed to do or did not do,” Pastorelli said.

She described the report as the beginning of further efforts to establish accountability for Shell’s activities and responsibilities in the Niger Delta.

Pastorelli also expressed concern over the operations of multinational oil companies in the region, citing environmental degradation, lack of environmental justice and alleged human rights abuses.

She insisted that companies found responsible for environmental damage must be held accountable and made to pay compensation for the harm caused to affected communities.

The report adds to growing calls by environmental and human rights organisations for stronger accountability, comprehensive environmental remediation and improved protection of communities affected by decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta.

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