The 2nd People’s AGM And The Struggle For Climate Justice In Nigeria

By Igbotako Nowinta

As part of the 2nd people’s AGM program, a highly successful rally was organized by members of the people’s AGM, and it held right in front of the corporate headquarters of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC), in Abuja, on Thursday 18th of May, 2023, where a signed copy of the resolutions of the AGM was handed over to the highest officials of the NNPC. The following demands were made with different well captioned placards: “limit global temperature to 1.5°C; withdraw Shell’s licence; we demand just energy transition; no to carbon emission; no to Shell’s energy transition plan; no to fossil fuel expansion; no to environmental depredation; protect our livelihood and no to gas flaring. “Indeed, the rugged and uncompromising stance of Rev. David Ugolor and his team at ANEEJ, along with other fantastic partners, within and outside Nigeria, must be commended magnificently, for pushing the laborious issues of climate justice vigorously; even as the oil producing areas continue to endure the humiliations and bullying; malevolent weight and power of the various multinational oil companies. This is the perilous reality: the multinational oil companies working in Nigeria represent a sickening exhibition of naked economic power against our people. The Nigerian government must continuously be told to respect Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

It was the indescribable cruelties being committed against oil producing communities in Nigeria, by multinational oil organizations like Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobile etc, that dragged civil society organizations and leaders, across the length and breadth of Nigeria to Abuja from Wednesday 16th to Thursday 17^th of May, 2023, for the Second edition of People’s AGM, for climate justice in country.

The historic event which took place at the prestigious Vichy Gates Hotel, in the heart of the capital city of Abuja, attracted the cream la cream of civil society activists in Nigeria and media practitioners.

What is the people’s AGM talking about in Nigeria? The first ever people’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) was convened by Rev. David Ugolor’s Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) in May 2022, to drum strident campaigns against activities that run counter to the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

This 2nd people’s AGM with the theme: “Advancing The Paris Agreement And Clean Energy Transition Towards A Sustainable Environment In Nigeria,” was organized to re- echo the people’s position on the impact of operations of Shell and other multinationals oil and gas companies, and to sustain engagement with investors ahead of their annual AGMs.

The intention was to reach out to shareholders and investors to take action and vote against policies and decisions that are not Paris-aligned.  ANEEJ had engaged the Archbishop of Canterbury via a letter signed by 40 Nigerian CSOs, asking the Church of England Pensions Board (and by extension other investors) to desist from lending its moral and financial authority to Shell and voting for Shell’s climate and energy plan.

As pressure mounts on Shell and other oil companies to implement key climate commitments that will see the companies significantly increase commitment and resources to a transition process from fossil fuel to renewable energy, ANEEJ is working closely with other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), on this extremely salient matter.

Here is the full text of the RESOLUTIONS signed by Legborsi Saro Pyagbara (African Indigenous Foundation for Energy & Sustainable Development, AIFES; Taiwo Otitolaye (Publish What You Pay, Nigeria) and David Ugolor,(Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) at the 2ND PEOPLE’S AGM held on May 17, 2023, in Abuja, Nigeria:

“The 2nd People’s AGM was convened by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) on May 17, 2023, in Abuja, Nigeria. The event had in attendance 68 participants drawn from across Nigeria including the Niger Delta region and other emerging oil States.

The people’s AGM interfaced on the following key areas:

• The upcoming SHELL BP’s AGM scheduled for May 23rd, Total Energies AGM scheduled for May 26th as well as that of Exxon Mobil scheduled for May 31st, 2023.
• The ongoing Ogoni Cleanup process and host communities’ reaction to the exercise.
• The activities of multinational oil companies including Shell in the Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria.
• Received and discussed testimonies from indigenous people on the impact of oil exploration activities on the environment and livelihood of the people.
• The lack of political commitment to end gas flaring in Nigeria.
• Update on new oil fields in other parts of Nigeria and other emerging issues.
• Observations; Participants at the People’s AGM therefore, Noted the role of investors in the funding of multinational oil companies which include SHELL and others.
• The lack of investors’ response to the Open Call by the People’s AGM for them to visit the Niger Delta region on a fact-finding mission.
• May 17th, 2023 The divestment of oil companies from on-shore to off-shore without taking into consideration the environmental hazards and damages caused by their operations.
• Noted SHELL’s current weak energy transition strategy and welcomed the recent Church of England Pensions Board’s announcement to vote against all directors at the upcoming AGMs of Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum, Shell, and Total Energies, in response to their failure to meet climate change objectives.
• There are technical and governance issues with the cleanup of Ogoni land which is slowing down the process, and the lack of stability in the leadership of the governing Council of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
• The AGM expressed concern over the new communities in Nigeria where oil fields are being developed, so as to avoid the similar fate as communities in the Niger Delta.
• Also expressed concern over the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court judgment on the Shell Bonga Oil Spill Case.
• It also noted with concern, the false claim by the Norwegian Oil Fund “Responsible Investment Report” that SHELL is making progress with the cleanup process and engaging local communities.

Resolutions

In the light of the above, the participants at the People’s AGM resolved as follows:

That the Federal Government of Nigeria should appoint a substantive chairman for the Governing Council of HYPREP to ensure consistency in the leadership.

Also, the Government, companies and other stakeholders should contribute to the remediation process by supporting the development and adoption of new technologies that can accelerate the Ogoni cleanup.

We also call on HYPREP to embark on fullscale livelihood restoration programme for the Ogoni people.

There should also be an unbiased investigation into the remediation process in Ogoni land as well environmental and health audits of the entire Niger Delta and a total cleanup of the region.

The President of Nigeria and the NNPC Ltd should withdraw the operating license of Shell because of their complicity in the environmental and ecological injustices ranging from divestment from on-shore to off-shore leaving behind the problems it created in the Niger Delta, weakened climate change commitment for short-term profit, and its poor human rights record in Nigeria.

The Norwegian Oil Fund and other investors should follow the example of The Church of England which made a commitment to vote against all directors at the upcoming AGMs of Exxon Mobile, Occidental Petroleum, Shell, and Total Energies, in response to their failure to meet climate change objectives.

To conduct further research on the activities of oil companies ongoing in Kogi, Nasarawa, Gombe, and other parts of Nigeria, to promote learning and experience sharing between Niger Delta communities and other parts of Nigeria.

The Energy Transition Plan of oil companies should be in compliance with Paris Agreement on climate change and Climate Change Act, reflecting the perspectives of communities affected by decades of fossil fuel extraction.

We call on international financial institutions including African Development Bank, The World Bank and Export Credit agencies to discontinue financing fossil fuel projects in Nigeria.

The AGM re-stated its earlier call for the companies’ major investors to go to the Niger Delta for the fact-finding mission and resolved to undertake high-level advocacy to engage the investors and government currently supporting SHELL, Total Energies, Exxon Mobil and other oil companies in Nigeria and agreed to send the outcome of the AGM to the major investors of these companies

Oil companies including SHELL, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and their investors such as Blackrock, Vanguard, Legal and General Investment management, should take responsibility for loss and damage in the Niger Delta as recommended during COP27.

We urge the Federal government, particularly the incoming administration to demonstrate the political will to end gas flaring in Nigeria.”

The Paris Agreement sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen countries’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. Climate impacts are already harming health, through air pollution, disease, extreme weather events, forced displacement, pressures on mental health, and increased hunger and poor nutrition in places where people cannot grow or find sufficient food.

The changes in climate are not uniform across the Earth. In particular, most land areas have warmed faster than most ocean areas, and the Arctic is warming faster than most other regions.

Among the effects of climate change on oceans are an increase of ocean temperatures, a rise in sea level from ocean warming and ice sheet melting, increased ocean stratification, and changes to ocean currents including a weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is acidifying the ocean.

Recent warming has strongly affected natural biological systems. It has degraded land by raising temperatures, drying soils and increasing wildfire risk. Species worldwide are migrating poleward to colder areas.

On land, many species move to higher ground, whereas marine species seek colder water at greater depths. At 2 °C (3.6 °F) of warming, around 10% of species on land would become critically endangered.

Who or what says fossil fuel explorations should not be discontinued within the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the spirit and letters of Paris Agreement?  Who says crude oil should not be left in the ground given the untold hardship and stark health challenges it continuously brings to the people living in the oil producing communities in Nigeria?

It is sad to note that the major oil multinationals companies have become a motley crowd of murderers, who violate decency and negates the principles of economic engagement.

They have simply captured and ransacked the oil producing communities in Nigeria; drained their blood and treasure by turning the place into a graveyard of backwardness, with arbitrary connivance by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

As part of the 2nd people’s AGM program, a highly successful rally was organized by members of the people’s AGM, and it held right in front of the corporate headquarters of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC), in Abuja, on Thursday 18th of May, 2023, where a signed copy of the resolutions of the AGM was handed over to the highest officials of the NNPC.

The following demands were made with different well captioned placards: “limit global temperature to 1.5°C; withdraw Shell’s licence; we demand just energy transition; no to carbon emission; no to Shell’s energy transition plan; no to fossil fuel expansion; no to environmental depredation; protect our livelihood and no to gas flaring.”

Indeed, the rugged and uncompromising stance of Rev. David Ugolor and his team at ANEEJ, along with other fantastic partners, within and outside Nigeria, must be commended magnificently, for pushing the laborious issues of climate justice vigorously; even as the oil producing areas continue to endure the humiliations and bullying; malevolent weight and power of the various multinational oil companies.

This is the perilous reality: the multinational oil companies working in Nigeria represent a sickening exhibition of naked economic power against our people.

The Nigerian government must continuously be told to respect Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

For sure, Rev. David Ugolor and his team are going to continue to expose the unspeakable atrocities going on in the oil producing communities in Nigeria.

Nowinta Igbotako, a Media/Research Consultant, with the Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre( NIGOREC), can be reached via: nowintaigbotako@gmail.com.