Host Communities Charged To Demand Environmental Accountability From Govt.
…Challenge NNPC/DPR/NOSDRA On Discrepancies on Tracked Gas Flare Volume
by Constance Meju
Host communities have been charged to unite and hold government accountable for failure toprotect the environment as well as demand proper management of revenue accruing from natural resources.
Acting executive director of Environmental Action Friends of the Earth Nigeria, EAFoEN, Chima Willams gave the charge at the National General Meeting of Host Communities of Nigeria, a body of communities host to natural resource in the country which held in Port Harcourt on April 15, 2021.
The ERA boss told the Assembly that human and environmental rights protection is an elementary state obligation and is a social contract signed by by executives to protect the arbitrariness of the weak and make the strong respect the weak and lamented that these rights are not being protected as they should be.
It was the kernel of his presentation on ‘Human and Environmental Rights: The Obligation of the State in Preserving These Rights’ that even though Nigeria is a signatory to many conventions upholding the duty of state to the protection and preservation of citizens’ human and environmental rights in addition to thi being guaranteed by parts of the Nigerian Constitution, government is not fulfilling that role because citizens are also not asking questions or demanding that these rights be properly protected and preserved.
“Until we begin to question these, talking about the obligation of state to rights protection and preservation without implementing them, we cannot get a protected and healthy environment.
“No state no matter how advanced ever takes her citizens serious if the citizens do not ak questions and hold them accountable”, he stated.
According to him, “In Nigeria, different provisions of the Constitution –Chapter One-the supremacy clauses, Chapter Two-state policy, Chapters three/four-structures of fundamental rights; 3 {section 20), empower government to protect the environment for citizens.
“The African Charter of Protocol on Human and Peoples Rights also approves this right; under the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights, states are enjoined to protect and defend the rights of citizens even in relation to business activities.
“The Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA equally provides citizens with the right to environmental protection even in development. NOSDRA is charged with the right to protection and preservation of the environment and with NESDREA, have been given express mandate to enforce and protect citizens right on environment.
“The Ministry of Environment is mandated to ensure standards are upheld, Ministry of Justice, rights are protected and enforced while the National Human Rights Commission is charged with the human rights of Nigerians at all times”.
The ERAFoEN boss stressed that the Nigerian Constitutions have upheld human and environmental rights but noted there have been breaches in spite of the constitutional proviions. He noted in particular, efforts to stop gas flaring in the country.
Associated Gas Injection Act wa nullified by a ruling against hell in an effort to reform ga Amendment and there have been other regulatory efforts including the Ga Flaring Prohibition of ate Act (2018), Nigerian Economic Economic Groth and Reconciliation Plan (2016) which provides for harnessing the country’s gas potentials for economic generation; the gas flare penalties but gas is still flared and penalties not properly tracked or documented at huge economic waste to the country.
Explaining further on observed discrepancies in the management of the gas flare, Williams stated,
The Department of Petroleum Resource, DPR should receive gas flare penalties but there is discrepancy in the calculation of volumes of gas flared. Nigeria has Gas Flare Tracker domiciled in NOSDRA but the challenge is that other countries track flare based on volume of gas flared via the tracker but there is a contrast in our record from DPR. This implies a huge loss of revenue; even, what is declared is not what is collected.
“There are discrepancies in the chain of volume tracking/collection of penalties. In the past 40 years NNPC never opened its books for Nigerians to see, produced audited statement of account only last year and in the past couple of years, NNPC has not produced any report on the volume of gas flared in the country.”
He said Nigerians have questions to ask to straighten things and make the related organs of government more efficient and effective.
“We need to ask NOSDRA to give the real amount lot based on volume (discrepancy)-penalty/amount due; ask DPR how much have you collected?”
Community members were also advised to be mindful of their food sources.
“You should know the source of the food you eat from planting to eating including how it is cooked. Be in-charge of your food system. He who controls our stomach controls our thinking. Encourage native food growth”.
Comrade Celestine Akpobari, coordinator Ogoni Solidarity Front, OSF eecalled for the bringing on board of young activists to further expand the civic society circle and help succession as the same faces appear to have been on the scene in the last two decades.
In a virtual presentation, Mariam put the Assembly through issues around genetically modified food products urging resistance to its acceptance and caution against usage of GMO products already circulating in the country.
The National General Assembly had as its objectives, to deliberate on the state of Nigerian environment from communities’ perspectives, elect and inaugurate a new national executive committee and draw up advocacy action plans to aid effective environmental monitoring and reporting. .
Chima William, acting executive director ERA/FoEN addressing the press
