Stakeholders from oil-impacted Niger Delta communities, civil society groups, and academia have renewed calls for an end to gas flaring and urgent reforms in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The demand was made at the Climate Justice Assembly in Benin, convened by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) under the theme “Yasunize & Ogonize the World for Socio-Ecological Wellbeing.”
Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, emphasized that climate justice is vital for survival, drawing inspiration from the Ogoni struggle that halted oil extraction in 1993 and Ecuador’s successful 2023 referendum to stop crude extraction at Yasuní-ITT.
Speakers at the event urged government and oil companies to halt gas flaring, conduct full environmental audits and clean-ups, and fix flaws in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which they said “permits flaring and unfairly blames communities for pipeline protection.”
Similarly, Isoko Grassroots Mobilisers Stakeholders in Delta State have threatened to shut down oil operations, accusing companies of failing to release funds due to host communities under the PIA.
They warned that continued neglect could lead to disruption of oil activities in OML 26 and surrounding areas.