By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) has asked International Oil Companies (IOCs) to invest $12 billion, which is equivalent to N5.5 trillion, in the Niger Delta region in order to restore the communities that have been destroyed by oil exploration activities, fostered by major IOCs.
BSOEC, in a report released on Tuesday, stated that Nigeria needs up to $12 billion to revive the communities that have been damaged by over sixty years of oil exploration activities in the Niger Delta region. This is because toxic pollutants as a result of oil spills and gas flaring were at several times higher than the safe limits in samples of soil, water, air, and in the blood of local residents.
The Commission revealed that the $12 billion will be used to restore impacted areas, create new jobs, provide drinking water, and treat health problems.
According to the report, Shell and Eni were among the Companies that were mentioned for participating in continuous crude oil pumping that has resulted in the pollution of water bodies and lands in various communities within the region, which has impacted fishing and farming activities in the Niger Delta.
In the report, the Commission stated that the government departments tasked with enforcing environmental standards lack capacity, independence, and influence.
The Commission also recommended that certain measures should be taken and put in place in order to guard against further pollution. The measures include an overhaul of the regulatory and legal regimes to allow heftier penalties, the introduction and fast-tracking of an arbitration body, as well as removing the influence of producers from the fundamentally compromised spill oil inspection process.
The report also noted that BOSEC started an investigation in 2019 on the impact of oil spills and looked at the evidence from forensic scientists, blood samples from people in affected areas, and Company data.
BOSEC is said to have already formally presented the final report of its investigation into the impact of oil exploration activities on the state to the international community.
The Commission is chaired by several renowned dignitaries in the governance and international development arena, including Baroness Valerie Amos and former Ghanaian president, John Kuffuor.