…As HOMEF calls for urgent environmental audit, stronger community participation
The people of Nembe community in Bayelsa State have cried out over the increasing decline of fish stock, the disappearance and reduction of aquatic species, and serious concerns over water quality and changes in traditional resource use.
They linked many of these changes which posed serious environmental challenges to oil exploitation, pollution and other extractive pressures, just as they expressed concern over weak environmental monitoring and enforcement.
This was as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) on the aegis of ‘Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)’ demanded a comprehensive and transparent environmental audit of Nembe, including assessment of water, soil and air quality, fish and other aquatic organisms, heavy metals and other contaminants.
It also called for regular food-safety and environmental health monitoring because of concerns about the movement of pollutants through the food chain and urgent action to address the growing environmental, livelihood and health concerns raised by residents of Nembe.
This development followed a community capacity-sharing dialogue held in the community organized under HOMEF’s Justice Through Communities-Centred Policy Advocacy project which brought together traditional leaders, women, youth, farmers, fishers, local government representatives and other stakeholders to examine environmental changes and identify priorities for policy action.
Speaking on the matter, the Executive Director of HOMEF, Rev Nnimmo Bassey, argued that for a community that is heavily dependent on fishing, farming and other natural resources, the reported environmental changes represent not only an ecological concern, but also a threat to livelihoods, food security, health and cultural heritage.
In the words of Bassey; “Communities cannot continue to bear the environmental and economic costs of extraction while being treated as spectators in decisions about their own environment”.
HOMEF stressed that environmental monitoring must therefore be linked to public health interventions, particularly for vulnerable groups, even as communities demanded a voice in environmental decisions
According to HOMEF; “Consultation is not participation. Meaningful participation means that communities have a voice throughout the process; from determining what is investigated to monitoring whether remediation has actually restored their environment.
“The people of Nembe and Niger Delta at large, are not asking to be heard after decisions have been made. They are demanding the right to participate in decisions that determine the health of their environment, their livelihoods and the future of generations to come,” HOMEF stated.
Health concerns featured prominently during the dialogue as participants raised concerns about possible impacts of environmental pollution on women, children, newborns and future generations, including reproductive health concerns.
Also speaking at the capacity-sharing dialogue, the Director of Primary Health Care, Nembe LGA, Chief Jude Pulemote, said oil exploration activities had contributed to health challenges among rural residents. Pulemote specifically raised concerns about anaemia among pregnant women and the disruption of livelihoods by oil activities.
One other major concern raised during the dialogue was the limited involvement of communities in environmental assessments and Joint Investigation Visits (JIVs).
Participants argued that affected communities must be actively involved in environmental assessments, evidence gathering, JIVs, decision-making, remediation monitoring and evaluation of cleanup activities, rather than being consulted only after environmental damage has occurred.
They also called for traditional and indigenous knowledge to be recognized alongside scientific evidence in environmental governance, noting that traditional systems historically helped regulate the use of forests, rivers, fishing grounds and other natural resources.
HOMEF noted that the concerns raised in Nembe must be considered alongside existing evidence of environmental degradation across the Niger Delta, including the UNEP Report on Ogoniland, the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) Report, Niger Delta women’s health audit report by the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre; all of which have been summarily documented in HOMEF’s Disasters Foretold and Retold publication.
It was established at the capacity-sharing dialogue that the region does not need another cycle of environmental assessments without corresponding action.
“Existing evidence must translate into remediation, restoration, accountability and protection of livelihoods,” HOMEF said.
The organization specifically called on the Bayelsa State and Federal Governments, regulatory agencies and oil companies operating in the region to conduct transparent and independent environmental and health assessments in Nembe and also ensure meaningful community participation in JIVs, environmental assessments, remediation and monitoring.
It also called strengthened enforcement of environmental laws and hold polluters accountable, implementation of relevant BSOEC recommendations, including the proposed environmental recovery fund and agency.
It also demanded for the decommission abandoned oil wells and address their environmental risks as well as accelerate remediation and ecological restoration of degraded areas.
Participants also demanded the protection and restoration of fishing, farming and other community livelihoods as well as establish appropriate mechanisms for compensation and livelihood recovery, strengthen environmental health monitoring and public health interventions in addition to recognize indigenous and community knowledge in environmental governance.
