The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to stop all ongoing and planned divestments of oil assets in the Niger Delta region by oil companies.

This demand was outlined in a petition titled “Urgent Call to Halt All Divestment in the Niger Delta, Including Shell’s Refused Sale of SPDC Shares”, addressed to President Tinubu on December 16, 2024, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas on December 18, 2024.

During a press briefing in Abuja, Mr. Isaac Botti, Programmes Coordinator of Social Action Nigeria, and Reverend Nnimmo Bassey, Founder of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), highlighted the severe environmental and social impacts of oil exploration in the Niger Delta. They stated:

“We are here as representatives of Nigerian society organizations, community leaders, and concerned citizens to address a grave and urgent issue that threatens not only the people of the Niger Delta but the environmental and economic interests of Nigeria and the social future of all Nigerians”, he said.

The Coalition expressed concern over the divestment process by International Oil Companies (IOCs), particularly Shell’s proposed sale of its remaining shares in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance consortium, as well as similar moves by companies like TotalEnergies.

They warned that these actions could undermine national interests and exacerbate environmental damage in the region.

The Coalition detailed extensive damage caused by decades of oil exploration, including:

• Water Contamination: High levels of hydrocarbons in water sources have rendered them unsafe for drinking.
• Soil Degradation: Continuous oil spills have destroyed farmlands, threatening food security.
• Biodiversity Loss: Entire ecosystems have been decimated by oil spills.

Citing reports by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission (BSOEC), the Coalition provided alarming statistics. UNEP revealed benzene levels 900 times above safe limits in Ogoniland, while chromium levels in Bayelsa were over 1,000 times higher than World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

The BSOEC estimated it would cost at least $12 billion to remediate Bayelsa over 12 years, with a broader cleanup across the Niger Delta requiring $100 billion. Comparatively, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the U.S. saw BP pay $60 billion for damages from a single incident.

The Coalition emphasized that past divestments by Shell, ENI/AGIP, and ExxonMobil have left unresolved environmental liabilities:

• Shell’s sale to Aiteo in Nembe resulted in worsening pollution without proper cleanup efforts.
• ExxonMobil and ENI/AGIP similarly failed to ensure adequate environmental management post-divestment.

These cases have set a troubling precedent of IOCs avoiding accountability for environmental degradation.

The Coalition urged the federal government and the National Assembly to take immediate action by:

1. Halting all IOC divestments until historical environmental liabilities are addressed.
2. Ensuring inclusive consultations with host communities before divestments.
3. Mandating that Shell, TotalEnergies, and other IOCs fund cleanup and remediation efforts.
4. Upholding the regulatory independence of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
5. Creating an Environmental Restoration Fund to support long-term remediation.

They also demanded profit-sharing opportunities for host communities and the inclusion of gas flaring cessation in divestment agreements.

The Coalition stressed that approving Shell’s SPDC share sale without addressing environmental and social liabilities would undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty and well-being.

“Approving Shell’s or TotalEnergies’ divestment in its current form without addressing the profound environmental and social costs would be a grave injustice to the people of the Niger Delta and could lead to significant unrest in the region.”, it stated.

The Coalition reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring environmental justice and called on President Tinubu and the National Assembly to prioritize the welfare of Nigerians over corporate interests.