A delegation from the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Center) led by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, met with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Civil Society Organizations, and other stakeholders in Bayelsa State at the State office of NHRC, Yenagoa.
The focus of the meeting was the environmental and human rights concerns plaguing the region’s oil and gas exploration and divestment prospects of oil companies in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking on behalf of the HEDA delegation, the Chairman Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju highlighted the severe environmental damage and human rights violations caused by oil exploration in Bayelsa, particularly criticizing the lack of transparency and accountability from International Oil Companies (IOCs).
He criticized International Oil Companies (IOCs) for failing to deliver promised benefits to local communities, leaving behind environmental ruins and social hardships.
Suraju emphasized the need for local communities to be included in decision-making processes concerning oil and extraction and divestment.
Mr. Suraju, however, called for a fundamental change in the relationship between the oil industry, the government, and the Niger Delta people, while criticizing past officials who failed to represent the communities’ interests in government and public offices.
He highlighted past instances of public officials prioritizing personal gains over the well-being of the region, and also questioned the capacity of companies proposed to take over divested assets, citing research conducted by Mr. Nicholas Hildyard of Cornerhouse Research into the profile of some prospective beneficiaries of the divestment plan.