Irrespective of the economic potential and gains of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company, its gas flares and environmental infractions in its host community of Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos, represent a contradiction of Nigeria’s commitment to the reduction of carbon emissions.
A group, the Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI) stated this at a training workshop organized for journalists and civil society groups in Lagos, during which it unveiled its environmental factsheet documenting particulate matter pollution in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State and the importance of real-time data collection to climate change impact adaptation in Nigeria.
Unveiling the fact sheet titled: The Unseen Risk, Executive Coordinator of MAJI, Okoro Onyekachi Emmanuel, noted that although the Dangote Refinery, with an estimated production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), was a welcome development considering the persistent shortage of petroleum products in the country, it will worsen Nigeria’s ecosystem.
He argued that to show its commitment to reduction of carbon emissions, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation, Nigeria launched its home-grown, data-backed energy transition plan in 2022 to achieve net zero emissions in the nation’s energy consumption by 2060.
“The Nigerian government is also a signatory to the Paris Agreement where it pledged an unconditional 20 percent reduction in emissions by 203 and 45 percent conditional reduction through capacity building, financial assistance and technology transfer.
“Regardless of the economic potential presented by the Dangote Refinery, MAJI identifies huge contradictions in Nigeria’s resolve to fulfil its commitment to the reduction of carbon emissions as there are no concrete efforts to implement frameworks that will help in actualizing this.
“Nigeria’s continued dependence and expansion of the fossil fuel industry continues to exact huge impacts on the environment, community lives and livelihoods. As a fossil fuel-dependent country, Nigeria has the largest number of air pollution-related deaths in Africa and ranks fourth on bad air quality in the world. A Euronews report released in August 2023 showed that six countries- Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria and Indonesia absorb a third of global air pollution impact,” the group stated.
The group also lamented that stakeholders and indigenous communities around the Dangote Refinery lack the required tools and platforms to collect environmental data capable of identifying Nigeria’s air quality index, which will be crucial in supporting evidence-based engagements and discussions among stakeholders.
It explained that details of the data factsheet showed that data collected in Idasho, Itoke, Lekuru, Mosa, Oke-Segun, Okeyanta, Okunraye and Olomowewe communities of Ibeju-Lekki and analysis documented in the factsheet showed a significant increase in Particulate Matter (PM)1.0, PM 2.5 and PM 10.0 particles and pollutants between April 2024 and September 2024.
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From the analysis of data collected over the eight-month period, MAJI identified a relative increase in the average temperature levels in the eight communities covered by the factsheet.
“Analysis derived from Air Quality Index (AQI) data collected from the communities covered by the factsheet showed a significant drop in the levels of air quality from April 2024 to September 2024. From the data collected over the six to eight-month period covered by the factsheet, we identified huge spikes in PM, temperature and AQI levels. These spikes were identified to have covered April 2024 to August 2024.
“The identified increase in particulate matter pollutants as across the analyzed collected within the monitoring period has a significant potential of impacting sensitive aquatic species and biodiversity wellbeing if left unchecked,” it said.
Following its findings, the group recommended that communities should start looking at ways to document physical changes that may occur in their environment, while relevant government agencies in charge of environmental protection at the state and federal levels should carry out empirical environmental data collection to drive key analyses that will be relevant to policy formulation.
Others are that key stakeholders such as the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Environment and others should carry out environmental health audits on the residents of host communities of the Dangote Refinery.
In line with Nigeria’s Open Data Policy, relevant government agencies and the Dangote Group should install and deploy real-time environmental data monitoring devices in the communities, while environmental protection agencies at the state and national levels should compel private companies in the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos State to carry out Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Studies, if not available or make public existing reports if they are available.
Rural Communities should adopt inclusive and interactive methodologies that will encourage dialogue and interfaces with relevant stakeholders and groups.
