A coalition of Nigeria and international Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has expressed worry at the devastation of the earth and its green environments through what it described as reckless oil and gas exploration activities in the Niger Delta.
Consequently, participants at a one – day workshop – ‘Empower2Sustain’ held at the Merafrany Sport Lounge, Ikot Udoma community in the oil city of Eket in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State, frowned at the lack of best practices by the Nigerian and international extractive firms.
LEADERSHIP gathered the Green The Future (GTF) initiative spearheaded by the Network Advancement Program for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAPPDRR), was bankrolled by some international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) and Oilwatch Africa (OA).
Resource persons drawn from government and various CSOs including Mr. Mfon James of the Ibom Peer Foundation (IPF); Aniekan Edoho from the NAPPDRR; Mrs. Akanimo Sampson, Executive Director (ED) of Rebuilders Foundation (RF) and Edidiong Dickson, from Policy Alert (PA), in their separate presentations raised the alarm over the looming food crises in the oil and gas host communities over environmental defacing by predators.
According to the executive director of the NAPPDRR and convener, Hon. Emem Edoho, the forum became necessary to address ideas on how to salvage the earth and restore the green environment for good agricultural practices and food sufficiency.
He described the Agroecology, food sovereignty and climate justice workshops as “a crucial step in our collective journey towards a greener, more resilient future for the oil and gas host communities in the state.”
“We recognise the transformative potential of agroecology and food sovereignty. By embracing agricultural practices, we can revitalise our ecosystems, promote biodiversity and ensure that our communities have control over their food systems.
“This is not just about food security; it’s about reclaiming our autonomy, preserving our cultural heritage, and building a more just and equitable society,” he explained.
The special guest and chairman of Esit Eket LGA, Mrs. Uduak Ikemesit Ikot, who was represented by the supervisory councillor for Environment, Hon. Imoh Jonah, underscored the importance of the forum, and enjoined participants to come out with an enforceable resolutions that would safeguard and protect the environmental ecosystems from further degradation for agricultural purposes.
The NAPPDRR programme officer, Helen Eyo, explained that the workshop aimed at building capacities for the inhabitants of the oil – bearing communities heavily impacted by the exploration and exploitation activities of the oil and gas firms operating in the affected communities for them to imbibe new and sustainable agricultural innovations.
In the same vein, the village head of Ntak Inyang in Esit Eket LGA, Chief John Ekwere, urged participants to do their utmost to draw the attention of the governments and other concerned authorities to the devastating impacts of gas flaring, methane emissions, and other anti-earth activities, including deliberate deforestation by human activities, rendering the environment useless for agricultural practices.
The conference resolved that the International Oil Companies (IOCs), should be held to implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA); demand for gas flaring pollution and environmental management plan in line with sections 103 and 104 of the PIA.
“Let’s fight for environmental justice and stronger community engagement and accountability. Air pollution is reported as the greatest cause of deaths globally and we must support energy transition,” they stressed.
