PIA fails to address Niger Delta challenges, Say Experts

The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 has been deemed inadequate in tackling the ecological and environmental issues plaguing the Niger Delta region, according to stakeholders at the Third Niger Delta Socio-Ecological Alternatives Convergence (NDAC).

The event, organized by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), took place in Abuja on Wednesday.

During the conference, stakeholders highlighted the recently approved Niger Delta alternative manifesto for socio-ecological justice. Mr. Ken Henshaw, Executive Director of We The People, criticized the PIA, stating that despite over 64 years of oil extraction, the region remains impoverished, underdeveloped, and insecure.

He emphasized the need for urgent attention to the communities that have suffered the consequences of Nigeria’s oil economy.

Henshaw noted that the PIA fails to address key regional challenges. He criticized provisions that hold communities responsible for protecting oil infrastructure, effectively criminalizing them, and the leniency towards gas flaring.

He also pointed out that the host communities’ funds prioritize oil companies over local concerns.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of HOMEF, described the Niger Delta as a sacrificial zone suffering from extensive environmental degradation.

He condemned the ongoing exploitation of the region, dating back to colonial times, and called for a realignment to improve the wellbeing of both the people and the environment.

Bassey highlighted the severe socio-ecological challenges, including deforestation, coastal erosion, and water contamination due to oil spills and hazardous waste dumping.

He denounced the plans of international oil companies to divest from onshore fields, calling it a scheme to evade responsibility for decades of pollution.

He urged the National Assembly to take action, emphasizing that the communities cannot be left to deal with the toxic legacy of oil extraction alone.

The stakeholders demanded the remediation and restoration of affected areas and reparations for past damages.

King Bubaraye Dakolo, Chairman of the convergence, called for collective efforts to restore the environment.

He criticized the PIA as an anti-people law that criminalizes host communities, stressing the need for environmental cleanup and restoration before any divestment by oil companies.

The convergence underscored the extreme negative impacts of oil and gas exploitation in the Niger Delta and proposed clear pathways for addressing these issues.