British MP, Report Slam Oil Firms, Allege Environmental Genocide in Bayelsa

Say $12bn required for clean-up in 12 years Diri pledges support, lauds predecessor on oil commission

pollution in Bayelsa State was on the international focus yesterday, as the report of the state’s Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) was launched at the House of Lords in London.

The 211-page report titled: “An Environmental Genocide: Counting the Human Cost of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria,” is a detailed documentation of the over 60 years of oil exploration and pollution in the state where oil was first discovered in commercial quantity in Nigeria by Shell.

The BSOEC was established in March 2019, by the immediate past Senator Seriake Dickson administration.

It had as chair, a former Anglican Archbishop of York and member of the House of Lords, Dr. John Sentamu, alongside former president of Ghana, John Kufuor and another member of the House of Lords, Baroness Valerie Amos, as honorary commissioners.

Baroness Amos, in her remarks, said the pollution of Bayelsa by oil multinationals was scandalous and shameful, calling on the international community to take action against polluters of the environment.

She said: “The research and the evidence contained in the report tell the stories that are so important. The community impact of the pollution comes through so clearly and it is devastating.

“This has been on for so long. It is an absolute scandal and we should all be ashamed that we have got to this point. Those responsible, including our international oil companies, should be ashamed of the roles they have played in their refusal to take responsibility.

“Talking about this being the fault of the local communities, who can see the result of this long-standing neglect and not be moved? And yet, that is what exactly happened. There has been no accountability on the part of the oil multinationals.

“I understand that there are a lot of people who might not even have heard about Bayelsa. But I hope what people would be able to connect to and see as a result of this report is the scale of the human impact.”

The MP stressed the need to take collective action now, saying the international community had to rally to save Bayelsa from the impact of what could be described as an environment genocide.

While presenting the report, chair of the commission’s Expert Working Group, Dr. Kathryn NwajiakuOil

Dahou, said the document was the product of four years of tireless work put in by researchers, scientists and professionals in different fields, who went round Bayelsa communities gathering samples.

“This helped us to bring to light what the commission describes as environment genocide that plagues Bayelsa today.

“The Commission’s findings shine light on the pollution catastrophe engulfing the state and its underlying causes. Chief among them are the systemic failings of international oil company operators with the complicity of Nigeria’s political class and a dysfunctional Nigerian regulatory state.

“The report sets out a proposal to end decades-long cycles of contamination and neglect by the oil and gas industry.”