Communiqué issued at the end of the Second National Consultation on the Environment held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 25 - 26 November 2009

Global warming and other grave environmental hazards are primarily a
result of extractive activities, particularly oil extraction.

Over five decades of oil extraction in Nigeria have not impacted
positively on the citizenry and particularly the people of the Niger
Delta, whose livelihoods have been eroded because of regular pollution
of farmlands and rivers.

Women, children and other vulnerable persons in the Niger Delta and
other resource-bearing communities across the country have been made
vulnerable due to resource conflicts and are exposed to severe human
rights abuse.

By failing to halt gas flaring in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian
government has demonstrated a lack of preparedness to committing to
reduce the effects of climate change even as it joins climate talks in
Copenhagen

Violent conflicts and criminality in the Niger Delta region and
particularly in oil-bearing communities are direct results of corruption
rooted in the operations of oil industry.

Life expectancy in the Niger Delta has continued to decline yearly as a
result of environmental pollution in the region and today stands at an
appalling 41 years.

There is flagrant disregard for international standards in the oil
industry particularly the non-observance of Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) on projects with far-reaching impacts on local communities.

The Federal Government’s planned deregulation of the downstream oil
sector will only benefit a profiteering cabal in the country and not the
vast majority of the population.

The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as currently prepared by the Federal
Government is fundamentally flawed and is anti-people as it neither
allows for communities to be notified of risks nor seeks their
endorsement for environmental management plans. In addition to numerous
gaps, the PIB does not offer sufficient penalties to deter infringement
of its provisions.

Nigeria’s oil industry is still rife with oil theft and inaccuracy in
volumes of oil extracted and what is actually made public, and makes a
nonsense of governments touted policy on transparency and accountability

The amnesty programme of the Federal Government is yet to address key
human rights and developmental challenges in the Niger Delta and may
fail with unimaginable consequences.

Ecological funds meant for remediation have been regularly diverted to
other uses that do not have a bearing on impacted environments.

Massive land grabs promoted by agribusinesses and oil corporations erode
traditional farming practices on the African continent.

The Nigerian government is yet to demonstrate sufficient commitment to
growing the national economy by failure to fund research and qualitative
education in addition to poorly thought-out policies that promote
disruption in the educational sector.

There is low awareness on environmental issues in the country.

Participants therefore strongly recommend that:

– All new oil finds must be left in the ground. The planned exploitation
of bitumen should be halted as the extraction will inflict unmitigated
disaster on communities and raise new levels of conflicts.

– The Leave Oil in the Ground message should be popularized.

– Gas flaring is a violation of the rights of Nigerians to life as is
enshrined in the constitution and must end today

– The Federal Government must take steps to ascertain and publish the
volumes of oil extracted daily in the nation. As a follow up to this, it
must take immediate steps to stop all forms of oil theft.

– A need exists for mass awareness and mobilization of local communities
to resist gas flaring and other unfriendly environmental practices in
the Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria where resource conflicts are
a growing reality.

– The authentic Petroleum Industry Bill must address genuine concerns of
the oil-bearing communities by seeking their endorsement on
environmental management plans. It must also proffer sufficient
penalties for infringement of the provisions.

– Any provision in the Petroleum Industry Bill that is aimed at
expropriating land and resources from the people must be abrogated.

– Political leadership of the Niger Delta must judiciously use the
resources of the region for development.

– The amnesty programme of the Federal Government should address the real
issues of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta and open channels for
genuine reconciliation of all aggrieved people of the region.

– The Nigerian state must fund qualitative education and indigenous
research to address challenges of development.

– Women and the vulnerable in the society must be protected from the
fallouts of resource conflicts while identified cases of violation of
their rights must be adequately redressed.

– All stakeholders-communities, civil society groups, government agencies,
the media, among others, must work collaboratively to expose unsound
environmental practices and mobilize for laws that will reverse the trend.

In conclusion, we are united in our opposition to new oil blocs and call
on all progressive-minded peoples and organizations to support our call
that new oil finds be left in the ground and bitumen left in the soil.

Signed:

1. Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria
2. Host Communities Network (HoCoN)
3. Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), Ibadan
4. Social Action, Port Harcourt
5. Nigeria Cassava Growers Association
6. African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development, Abuja
7. Environment, Health and Communication Initiative
8. Persons with Disabilities Action Network (PEDANET)
9. United Action for Democracy (UAD)
10. Conflict Resolution Trainers Network (CROTIN)
11. Grace Fellowship Africa
12. Students Environmental Assembly
13. Campaigners for Justice, Equity and Fairness (CJEF), Benin City
14. Society for the Rights of the Girl Child
15. Women Environmental Programme
16. Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER)
17. Council for Leadership and Development (CLD)
18. Society for Empowerment and Self-Reliance (SESER)
19. Youth Empowerment and Child Labor Elimination Project (YCEP)
20. Foundation for Conservation of the Earth (FOCONE)
21. Green Concern for Development (Green Code), formerly ABGREMO, Calabar
22. Centre for Rural Integration and Development
23. UGREEN Foundation
24. Development Information Network (DEVNET)
25. Child Health Organisation
26. Concern for Habitat Development
27. LEAP Foundation
28. Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA)
29. Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group
30. Children Initiative
31. Centre for Development Communications (CENDEC)
32. National Point Newspapers
33. Foundation Against Social Trauma and Environmental Ravage (FASTER)
34. Wildlife Preservation Trust
35. Trade Network Initiative (TNI)
36. Centre for Socio-Economic Development
37. HRJPF
38. Movement for Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP)
39. CEHRD
40. Oruma Community
41. Ogoni Solidarity Forum
42. Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
43. HEDA, Lagos
44. People Against Drug Dependence and Ignorance (PADDI)
45. Gender Awareness and Development Associates (GADA)
46. Centre for Development Support Initiatives
47. CUAED
48. Nurses Across Borders
49. Institute for Dispute Resolution
50. Kebet Kache Women Development and Resource Centre
51. Environ-Green Integrated Initiative
52. Alfred Ozo Foundation
53. Social Development Integrated Centre (SDIC)
54. Centre for Human Empowerment, Advancement and Development
55. Association for Promotion of Human Development, Gombe State
56. Bamidele Aturu & Co
57. Women and Children Life Advancement Initiative, Katsina State
58. Foundation for Sustainable Development
59. Care for Youth Initiative
60. Future of Our Environment
61. CIC Benin
62. Centre for Development Support Initiatives (CEDSI-Nigeria)
63. OGDEMOVE
64. Centre for Social and Corporate Responsibility (CSCR) Port Harcourt
65. Hand of Hope Foundation
66. Friends of the Needy and Oppressed Foundation (FONAO) Foundation
67. Centre for the Advancement of Children and Women Rights
68. Centre for Creative Arts Education, Port Harcourt
69. Goodwill Homage Foundation
70. Green Earth Links
71. The Olive -Child Foundation
72. Mag Foundation for Women
73. Freshfields Solicitors, Port Harcourt
74. Our Niger Delta
75. River Ethiope Trust Foundation
76. Gender and Development Action
77. Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO)
78. Peculiar People Foundation
79. Impact and Systems International, Abuja
80. Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), Ijebu-Ode
81. Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarisation (CENCOD), Lagos
82. Imo Mass Movement
83. Women in Technology Education and Employment
84. Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Abuja
85. Basic Rights Action
86. Legal Hands, Benin City
87. Rural Women and Youth Development Initiative, Ikom, Cross Rivers State
88. Koyenum Immalah Foundation (Publish What you Pay)
89. Save Earth Nigeria
90. Peace and Development Projects
91. Neighborhood Environmentwatch Foundation
92. Organisation for Sustenance of the Nigerian Environment
93. Ijaw Council for Human Rights
94. Association for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Gombe
95. Women Centre for Quality Living and Practice, Benin City
96. Campaign for Democracy
97. Gender Environmental and Sustenable Development Initiative (GENSDI)
98. ANPEZ Centre for Environment and Development
99. Peace and Development Projects (PEDEP)
100. African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
101. D.U Akamakusi & Associates
102. Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA)
103. Niger Delta Coastal Communities Development Association
     ND-COCODA
104. Christars Global Development Foundation, Port Harcourt
105. African Center for Sustainable Livelihoods (AFRICSUL)
106. Iwherekan Community, Delta State
107. Africa Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)
108. Community Forest Watch (CFW), Iguobazuwa, Edo State
109. Singles & Success Organisation
110. Academic Foundation Network, Ete Community
111. Gender Action Group
112. Climate Change Network Nigeria (CCN)
113. Niger Delta Development Initiative (NDDI)
114. Environmental Outreach Magazine, Yenagoa
115. FISHCAREPLUS
116. Oilwatch Africa
117. Publish What You Pay