Group launches fossil fuel phase-out campaign, rejects oil resumption in Ogoni

Mkpoikana Udoma

The initiative, supported by Oilwatch International, was flagged off by the Kallop Humanitarian and Environmental Centre at a community stakeholders’ meeting, that saw passionate calls for the federal government to abandon plans to resume oil operations in the region.

Mr. Anthony Aalo, Executive Director of Kallop Humanitarian and Environmental Centre, explained that the campaign is not in contradiction with federal plans but rather a continuation of long-standing local advocacy.

“This is the beginning of a non-violent campaign to make fossil fuel extraction a thing of the past in Ogoniland. Fossil fuel is now seen as dirty energy. Around the world, people are moving away from it, and Ogoni must not be an exception.

 “Even before the government started talking about oil resumption in Ogoni, we’ve been advocating for an end to fossil fuel extraction, not just in Ogoni but across the Niger Delta,” he said.

The environmental impact of decades of oil activities, according to Aalo, remains the strongest reason for the call. “You can see the devastation everywhere, polluted farmlands, dead rivers, poisoned air. We must step forward to embrace renewable energy,” he said.

The campaigners criticized aspects of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, particularly the exclusion of Khana Local Government from the Host Communities Development Trust despite housing oil facilities.

“Khana was producing oil before the Ogoni struggle even started. To say they don’t qualify because the Trans Niger Pipeline doesn’t pass through them is unacceptable.”

He also raised alarm over the clause in the PIA that mandates host communities to bear the cost of pipeline repairs from their development funds. “That’s not fair. It’s a way for oil companies and the government to abdicate their responsibility of safeguarding lives and property,” he said, calling for the law to be reviewed.

Also, Mr. Dennis Legbara of the Civil Rights Council added that fossil fuel extraction has been a death sentence for many locals. “Our people are dying young because of the pollution. It’s time we follow the global trend toward clean energy,” he said. “We must not be swayed by temporary handouts but must think of future generations.”

Women also lent their voice to the movement, with Melubari Nwiluka stressing the gendered impact of oil pollution. “Women can’t even farm anymore because the land is poisoned. Let this campaign begin in earnest. It’s time,” she said.