A group, Spaces for Change (S4C), has suggested the inclusion of oil-rich communities in the nation’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
Nigeria’s ETP was developed to realize the adoption of natural gas as a transition fuel to aid the process of phasing out carbon-polluting fuels like crude oil by 2060.
S4C said findings from its research report show that the ETP neither made arrangements for cleanup, remediation, compensation, and rehabilitation of oil-rich communities nor for addressing the massive environmental damage that has accompanied the country’s protracted dependence on fossil fuels.
The report titled, “Energy Transition in Nigeria’s Oil-Rich Communities”, was unveiled by S4C in collaboration with Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC) and Extractives 360 (E360), with support from Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) in Lagos.
The report also shows that energy transition proposals by corporations made veiled references to communities.
Presenting the findings of the report, Mrs. Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Founder, S4C, said that there is the need for ETP to address environmental injustice and create livelihood for Oil-rich communities.
She stated: “National transition plans and policies neither made arrangements for cleanup, remediation, compensation, and rehabilitation of oil-rich communities nor for addressing the massive environmental damage that has accompanied the country’s protracted dependence on fossil fuels.
“This burgeoning venture is envisaged to become moribund in the new green economy, but ETP did not make provision for the development of alternative livelihoods for local populations involved in this trade which is potentially a recipe for renewed violence”.