Hundreds of women from Niger Delta states on Friday decried the planned sale of Shell UK’s Nigerian subsidiary by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) without remediating pollution.
The women who staged a protest against divestments by International Oil Companies from onshore assets in the region lamented that the divesting companies are leaving behind a devastated environment.
The women who embarked on a protest rally at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) press Centre in Yenagoa claimed the toxic environment caused by oil spills and hydrocarbon pollution has adversely affected their husbands’ fertility, making conception much more difficult.
They urged the Federal Government to ensure that oil companies remediate their operational host communities before considering any request for divestment.
The women presented their position through Mrs Emem Okon of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre with over 15 women groups in the region to journalists.
The protesting women said that Shell UK’s decision to sell its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC’s onshore assets without consulting communities is unhealthy, unethical, irresponsible, and therefore unacceptable.
Speaking during the protest, Barr. Dise Ogbise-Goddy of Do Foundation, stated that it was injustice for Shell UK to divest from onshore without restoring the ecosystem in Niger Delta where they have polluted for years.
According to her, “Communities in the Niger Delta have been at the receiving end of the environmental devastation caused by the company’s activities.
“Shell UK PLC plans to sell SPDC shares to Renaissance Africa Energy, a consortium of investors, without regard for its legacy of environmental damage.
“There is a cogent need for appropriate consultation with all stakeholders, remedies, and social and legal license to exit.
“It is instructive that the company has already divested OML 34 to ND Western, OML 17, and OML 29 without proper guidelines.
“We use this medium to call on the federal government not to approve Shell UK:s planned sale of oil assets in Nigeria until all polluted farmlands in the Niger Delta have been cleaned and restored by the companies.
“The story is similar to other oil majors in Nigeria. Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Mobil Producing, and TotalEnergies are poised to divest their onshore assets,” she said.
She said that affected Niger Delta women are concerned about the swiftness of this divestment without clear-cut guidelines to resolve pollution issues before the oil firms divest.
She added, “TotalEnergies left, and the companies that took over have failed to create women’s development funds to help victims of oil extraction.
“Women in the Niger Delta suffer severe environmental consequences of oil extraction.
“Decades of oil pollution have placed them in a vulnerable position, impeding subsistence agriculture and causing health complications.
“Women are concerned because the reputations of the new corporations acquiring SPDC, AGIP, and ExxonMobil assets are unknown to them.
“In addition, gas flaring in Ebocha, Ibeno, Umuechem, and other regions have continued as of this instant; communities such as Otuabagi continue to endure the repercussions.
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“The severe disruption to agriculture, fishing, and hunting have caused health issues among women who have been exposed to hydrocarbons”
The women alleged that the planned divestment has not considered the interests of community people, particularly women.
“Renaissance Africa Energy should make public all documents submitted for the acquisition of SPDC and all proofs of compliance with the so-called checklist and guidelines for divestment of oil assets.
“The Federal Government should not approve the divestment of oil assets until all polluted farmlands, rivers, air, and forests in the Niger Delta have been cleaned and restored,” she said.
Some women from Otuoabagi community in Bayelsa, where oil was first discovered in commercial quantities also participated in the rally.
Leaders of women of Otuabagi Mrs Anthonia Azibabien, Roseline Damini, narrated their ordeals, stating that the years of environmental pollution had dealt health challenges to the people.
