Yenagoa — Stakeholders at a two-day workshop have analysed how extraction of crude by oil by the federal government and multinationals in the Niger Delta is hurting the region and its environment.
The workshop organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in collaboration with the Niger Delta University (NDU) Ammasoma, all agreed and declared that the Niger Delta region and many other regions in African are sacrificed zones by oil firms and the federal government.
Director, HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, who spoke at the two-day discussion with the theme: "School of Ecology Recovering Oil Sacrifice Zone," stated that apart from the Niger Delta, the cold mines of South-Africa, the gas fields of the phosphate fields of Togo and Western Sahara have all been sacrificed for profit.
The environmental activist deplored the state of the environment and living conditions of the host communities, especially the Niger Delta, as a result of oil activities, describing the region as a "sacrifice zone."
He said the oil belt of Nigeria, which is the Niger Delta, "has been completely sacrifice and privatise sacrifice in the sense that the exploitation has not shown any sense of responsibility or accountability."
He said the government has sacrificed the region for foreign exchange which explains why the federal government does not frown at destructive activities of multinational oil companies particularly oil spills.
The environment activist urged the government to stop expanding crude oil exploration and invest more in other sectors like agriculture, adding that the oil in the Niger Delta is drying up hence the divestment by multinationals.
Bassey said: "So the whole zone (Niger Delta) has been sacrificed for profit, for capital, for the benefit of oil companies and the benefit of those who are working, of those who are benefiting from the actions of the oil company, which is the Nigerian government.
"The government has sacrificed the Niger Delta for foreign exchange. This is why no matter what the corporations do, it's very hard for government to really frown on them. Even when they say they are divesting, they say, okay, you want to divest, bring the papers, you sign it.
"When they do oil spills sometimes for months they don't clean up. There is one oil spill that is going on off the coast of Ondo State, more than four years, the well blew up and its burning and spilling.
"There's no better way to describe a zone that has been sacrificed than that. So, it's a zone of always taking from, not giving back or not keep not giving by way of money. Money doesn't solve this, not caring what happens to the people. So both the people and the environment have been sacrificed.
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"We have to stop expanding the sacrifice zone. Nigeria's oil wells are drying off. There's no point pretending that, that is not the case. This is why oil companies always look for new wells, always look for new reserves. But we have not heard of any new reserves being added to the Nigeria stock of reserves.
"So clearly something is pointing to the fact that Nigeria should begin to invest more in other sectors. So, this is the solution. Stop, don't open any more oil wells or gas wells because the ones we have has damaged us, not just damaging the environment."
On his part, Head of Department, Environmental and Management, Niger Delta University, Dr. Charles Oyibo, said the lecture would help students to be better informed and help them to be aware of what to do in the future.
He said the collaboration with HOMEF was an eye opener to both the students and university, especially in tackling with the issues of the environment.
