As Nigeria continues to reel under the excruciating weight of associated gas flaring in the course of oil exploitation and its associated devastating impacts on both human lives and the environment, a call has gone to the National Assembly to seize the opportunity presented by the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to legislate a definite date for the end of flaring of gas in the country.

This and other submissions were made by SOCIAL ACTION at the two-day public hearing on the PIB for the south-south region of the country by the House of Representatives as part of the legislative processes towards enacting the bill into Law.

Head of Community Action of Social Action, Celestine Akpobari with Renowned Environmentalist Rev. Nnimmo Bassey and Mother of murdered youth, Mrs Kinawa Kenam at the public presentation of the report

Press Statement

KILLING FOR BANANA; GOVERNMENT LAND GRAB, VIOLENCE AND THE FORGOTTEN RIGHTS OF OGONI FARMERS

At least 12 community members have been killed following the forceful seizure of over 2000 hectares of arable land from Ogoni farmers by the Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. The communal farmlands were handed over to a Mexican company for commercial banana farming, thereby denying local farmers of livelihoods, according to a new report by Social Action, “Killing for Banana: Government Land Grab, Violence and The Forgotten Rights of Ogoni Farmers” (being released today). As shown in the report, reduced access to land and resources would increase poverty and marginalization, thus further impeding the realization of community and governments’ goals for improvement in standard of living and healthy environment.

Despite the opposition of thousands of rural smallholder farmers, the Rivers State Government is adamant about its plans to appropriate over 2,000 hectares of ancestral farmlands of Ogoni communities in Tai and Khana Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state. The state government intends to hand over the land to a private company registered in Mexico, Union De Iniciativa S.A. de C.V., for the development of a commercial banana plantation. This is a prominent example of property speculation via so called public-private partnerships, which leads to displacement of urban and rural populations. Click to View report

MOSOP President, Lergbosi Pyagbara making a presentation at the forum

The President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP has said that the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan has done little or nothing to improve the state of the Niger Delta region. Legborsi Pyagbara made this known at a panel discussion organized by Social Action with the theme; Niger Delta Struggle and ‘Niger Delta Presidency’: Opportunities Lost and Gained. According to Legborsi, the core demands of the region which led to the agitations that necessitated a ‘settlement’ which propped Jonathan to the presidency, have still not been addressed. “The Ogonis for instance are still burdened by the effect of many years of oil exploitation. Even when UNEP has authoritatively confirmed the level of environmental pollution and recommended remediation, this presidency had done nothing. Ogonis still survive on the same polluted environment”

In what appears to be a new vista in democratic governance at the grassroots, the Brass local government council of Bayelsa State has held a people’s parliament to discuss governance issues as it affects the citizens of the area.