Hold IOCs accountable for N’Delta pollution, group urges Senate
The Human and Environmental Development Agenda has urged the Senate to mandate international oil companies to remediate decades of environmental harm in the Niger Delta.In a statement released on Wednesday and signed by its chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, HEDA called on legislators to move past investigations of oil theft and address what they referred to as “decades of ecological devastation and economic inequity.”
While appreciating the Senate’s initiatives against crude oil theft, Suraju contended that the environmental harm inflicted by IOCs represents a “deeper and more persistent theft.”
“While we applaud the Senate for enhancing collaboration with security forces to combat oil theft, the more profound and lasting theft is the environmental and economic exploitation by international oil companies,” he stated.
He accused the international oil companies of trying to swiftly divest their onshore assets and exit Nigeria without addressing the environmental destruction left in the wake of their activities in local communities.
“That is not acceptable. These firms have operated for years with little concern for the environment or the local population and must not be allowed to leave without rectifying their impact,” he remarked.
Suraju’s statements were made in response to a discussion between Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and the Senate ad-hoc committee focused on crude oil theft, chaired by Senator Ned Nwoko.
The committee had emphasized the need for enhanced intelligence-sharing and better protection of oil infrastructure.
Nevertheless, Suraju argued that merely protecting pipelines will not resolve the deeper, persistent challenges in the region.
“Justice for the residents of the Niger Delta cannot be achieved solely through police intervention,” he asserted.
“If the Senate genuinely wishes to eliminate economic sabotage, it must also confront the chronic impunity of oil multinationals.”
Suraju recalled HEDA’s previous actions to challenge the “hasty divestment” of assets by international oil firms, including petitions submitted to local and international organizations.
He pointed out that the group has consistently advocated for the remediation of polluted sites and compensation for impacted communities, referencing various court rulings against the oil companies.
Despite these efforts, he indicated that the enforcement of the judgments remains largely ineffective.
“It is time for the Nigerian Senate to demonstrate the same urgency in enforcing environmental justice as it is in addressing oil theft,” he stated.
He cautioned that communities in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, and other oil-rich states continue to suffer the consequences of uncontrolled oil extraction.
Quoting figures from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), he mentioned that Nigeria has lost over 353 million barrels of crude—worth about $25.7 billion—to oil theft between 2002 and 2025.
Leave A Comment