Amnesty urges oil firms to fund Niger Delta environmental cleanup

Isa Sanusi, the director of Amnesty International Nigeria, made the call on Tuesday in Port Harcourt during the presentation of a report titled “Nigeria: Lifting the Lid”.

Amnesty International Nigeria has urged oil companies operating in Nigeria to contribute to a well-funded environmental restoration fund to finance the comprehensive cleanup of the Niger Delta.

The report examined what the organisations described as 60 years of negligent oil operations by an oil firm in the Niger Delta.

Mr Sanusi said oil companies must take responsibility for the environmental damage caused by their operations and support restoration efforts in affected communities.

He called on the federal government to ensure that oil firms contributed to a well-funded restoration fund to facilitate the cleanup of polluted sites to international standards.

“The contribution of a super-fund must be sufficient to fully clean up the Niger Delta to the highest international standards.

“We are urgently calling for the initiation of a clean-up programme to restore the Niger Delta environment,” he said.

The Amnesty director also urged the government to conduct comprehensive audits of operational and decommissioned oil infrastructure belonging to fossil fuel companies.

He said the findings of such audits should be made accessible to affected communities to promote transparency and accountability.

Mr Sanusi further called for studies into human rights impacts of decades of oil pollution, particularly on the health of residents, water quality, fisheries and agriculture.

According to him, the report documents alleged failures to protect communities and the environment, which he attributed to the prioritisation of corporate profits over human lives.

He urged residents, particularly those in oil-producing communities, to read, discuss and share the report to raise awareness and demand accountability.

“Those responsible for oil pollution and environmental degradation must be held accountable for their actions and comply with the rule of law,” he said.

Mr Sanusi also rejected attempts to place responsibility for oil pollution and environmental degradation solely on host communities.

He said Amnesty International would continue to challenge such narratives and demand accountability from companies and relevant authorities.

The Amnesty director disclosed that the organisation would write to President Bola Tinubu, forward a copy of the report, and urge the federal government to implement its recommendations.

Meanwhile, the Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) has ruled out signing an agreement with the federal government on the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland until the people of the oil-rich area have been given an opportunity to decide on the proposed return of oil companies through credible community congresses.

The decision raises a fresh hurdle for the federal government’s efforts to restart oil production in Ogoniland, decades after oil exploration was halted amid protests over environmental devastation, economic marginalisation and the killing of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders in 1995.

PREMIUM TIMES reported in August that 51 civil society organisations opposed the planned resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, arguing that the government should prioritise environmental restoration over reopening oil wells.

The organisations cited unresolved pollution, including the 2025 oil spill in Kpean community, and warned that renewed extraction without adequate remediation could expose residents to further environmental and health risks.

(NAN)