Niger Delta

FG has failed to consider host communities in ETF plans — stakeholders

Stakeholders have expressed worries over the Federal Government’s failure to put the plight of host communities into consideration in the implementation of the Nigeria’s Energy Transition (ETF) plans.

They are also concerned whether Nigeria would be able to meet the 2060 target to end use of crude oil in respect to the FG’s commitment to ETP vis-a-vis the challenges bedeviling the nation’s cashless policy.

Speaking at a one-day community workshop on Energy Transition in Nigeria’s oil rich communities for Delta State held at DSC 2, Permanent Camp Conference Hall, Udu, near Warri, the stakeholders bemoaned the badly-implemented ongoing cashless policy and naira redesigned that have put the common man on edge, saying it will affect the oil-bearing communities and their ways of life.

The workshop, organised by Extractive360, in partnership with Spaces for Change and support from a Ghana-based Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), expressed concerns over Federal Government’s failure to put the plight of the host communities into consideration in the implementation of the Nigeria’s Energy Transition plans.

Executive Director of Extractive360 (e-360), Juliet Ukanwosu, said that the workshop was tailored to create awareness about the new reality in the global energy space and how it can affect oil-producing communities in Delta State.

Ukanwosu, who was represented by the Senior Research Officer at E-360, Dr Mercy Makpor, said that the event was a significant one meant to sensitise participants about the global energy transition campaign, how it relates to Nigeria’s Energy Transition plans and how it will impact on host communities and present ways of life.

She noted that the Niger Delta, where the nation’s oil wealth is being exploited from over the years, had been left with devastating effects from environmental degradation to air and water pollutions.

“It is needless to state that many communities have lost their farmlands and rivers, which is their primary means of livelihood as a result of oil exploration. Everyone here today knows of these negative effects. I’m sure everyone has a unique story to tell.

“While we are yet seeking justice for this age-long environmental injustice in the Niger Delta, the new reality is the move from crude oil to renewable energy sources.

“What this means is that the world is moving away from the use of oil to more environmental friendly energy sources such as wind, water and solar.

“This is a global move following the Paris agreement; it is not about Nigeria alone. Countries have committed to different dates when they intend to stop use of crude oil.

“This means that very soon, no one will be buying Nigeria’s oil. Nigeria itself has committed to end the use of crude oil by 2060,” Ukanwosu said.

Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the event, representative of Spaces for Change, Chetachi Louis Odeh, said that about four non-government organisations collaborated to carry out the research on the ETP and had made recommendations to the Federal Government.

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