A group, the ‘Coalition of Ijaw Women Voices’ has kicked against the planned sale of onshore oil and gas assets of Shell Petroleum Development Company, valued at $2.4bn.
The coalition said divestment by the multinational firm without addressing the lingering environmental issues in the Niger Delta environment caused by its exploration activities was dubious and unacceptable.
The CIWV convener and prominent Niger Delta activist, Ms Ann-Kio Briggs, stated this during a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Kio-Briggs stated, “The CIWV, a platform of Ijaw women from oil and gas bearing communities, professionals in different fields, fishing and farming communities across five states of the Niger Delta, representing the three Ijaw national zones and all communities within them have become aware of the purported agreements to sell off SPDC onshore oil and gas assets to Renaissance African Energy, a consortium of five companies.
“The sale is said to be subject to approval of the Federal Government of Nigeria and other conditions to which we are not privy. The CIWV finds this development shocking and unacceptable.
“The prospective buyer or buyers of these assets and other consortia must be reminded that the stakeholders of these assets are the people of the Niger Delta region. There is a Local Content Act.
“The attempt to sell off these vital assets domiciled in the Niger Delta and particularly in Ijaw territory is unacceptable and will be resisted.”
She added, “In the past 70 years, the Ijaw nation, our swamps, creeks, mangroves, soil, drinking water, men, women, children and the future have suffered uncountable disasters, devastations and deaths, and destruction of our livelihood, environment and her future.”
She stated that Shell, other IoCs and the Federal Government remain responsible for what she termed ‘ecological genocide’ of the Niger Delta. Related News 14 Rivers oil-producing communities allege neglect Shell restates commitment to host communities’ safety Akwa Ibom community threatens to shut oil firms
She enthused, “The attempt to casually sell off assets in this world-recognized devastated region is, to say the least dubious, deplorable, and unacceptable.
“We call on the consortium and all other oil and gas interests to note that, in buying any of these assets they are buying the agitation and resistance of our people.
“This latest attempt to sell off the onshore assets in our territory is yet another attempt to enslave, continue to impoverish our people and steal the future of our children.
The coalition called on women of all other ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta to raise their voices to reject and resist this connivance between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the international oil companies to sell off the assets of our God-given resources to themselves.
“We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the international oil companies, the so-called African Energy and other oil and gas interests to be transparent and accountable in their unacceptable plots to sell off the assets in our indigenous lands.
“We demand to be consulted, as part of the negotiations and the decisions to sell any oil and gas assets in Ijaw territory.
“We hold the Federal Government of Nigeria, the IOCs, the Minister of Petroleum, and the Minister of Gas culpable and responsible for the over 70 years of environmental destruction, devastations, and genocide through the reckless oil and gas exploration and exploitation of crude oil and gas flaring.”
Noting that Ijaw people will not continue to carry Nigeria on its backs, Ms Kio-Briggs said, “Henceforth we will reappraise our continued stay within a country that takes everything from us.
“Finally, it will be a wasteful investment for any consortium or similar interests in and out of Nigeria to invest in any venture to procure any on-shore assets in Ijaw territory without the full participation of the Ijaw people.”
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