Activists Call For Unity In Pursuit Of Environmental Accountability
Environmental activists and legal practitioners in Nigeria are calling for unity in the pursuit of environmental accountability in the country.
They are urging Nigerians to utilize the ongoing constitutional amendment exercise to demand a review of the environmental laws in the country.
At a one-day hybrid programme organized by Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) in Benin City, Edo State, the activists rejected a system that puts absolute power over Nigeria’s natural resources in the hands of the federal government, abandoning the victims of oil and gas pollution in local communities.
The Executive Director of EDEN, Barr. Chima Williams, highlighted parts of the Nigerian constitution that place utmost power on the federal government, inhibiting the state and regulatory agencies and citizens’ right to demand environmental accountability from polluting corporations.
He emphasized the need for a constitutional review to ensure that the environment is well protected and accountability is enforced.
The programme also explored the negative impacts of climate change on local communities, the role of polluting corporations, and how the Nigerian constitution has aided pollution, derailing environmental accountability.
The Deputy Executive Director of EDEN, Comrade Alagoa Morris, highlighted the increasing impact of climate change in the Niger Delta, manifested in increased rainfall and severe flooding.
EDEN’s Director of Programmes, Philip Jakpor, emphasized the role of the media in documenting and shaping public perception and understanding of climate change.
He stressed the need for the media to tell the stories of people affected by climate change, including communities, women, children, vulnerable groups, and workers.
The Director of Climate and Energy Justice at EDEN, Maimoni Ubrei-Joe, discussed the essence of climate justice movements, which is to keep individuals, governments, and industries accountable while redirecting the world toward climate action.
He highlighted the challenges in climate justice organizing, including greenwashing, false solutions, and distractions.
Associate Professor of International and Environmental Law from the University of Derby, UK, Dr. Eghosa Ekhator, pointed out that climate laws are not effective in Nigeria and stressed that the impact of climate change weighs more on vulnerable people in society.
He charged civil society organizations and environmental activists to start developing the capacity of local communities for climate litigation.
The programme concluded with a call to action for Nigerians to demand a review of the environmental laws in the country and for civil society organizations and environmental activists to work together to promote environmental accountability and climate justice.
Activists Call For Unity In Pursuit Of Environmental Accountability is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
