Niger Delta communities to suffer impacts of gas expansion program without safeguard measures – SDN
Oredola Adeola
The Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), a human rights group, has cautioned the Nigerian Government against committing more scarce resources toward further expansion of the national gas programme and the Decade of Gas initiative, without commitment to safeguarding the livelihood of people of Niger Delta and investment in sustainable infrastructure.
The research documented the current state of the gas industry’s infrastructure, and impact on host communities, to highlight risks of further expansion.
SDN said it also based its research on a rapid assignment in communities surrounding a large gas processing facility that has been operated in Rivers State since 1985.
It also noted that gas expansion is expected due to domestic energy plans, and increased demand from Europe and others, following Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“But if countries achieve net zero commitments, global gas demand could peak as soon as 2030, according to McKinsey.
“Nigeria must proceed with caution, to avoid redirecting resources away from more sustainable infrastructure, delaying the clean energy transition, and deepening dependence on fossil fuels, which could result in stranded assets and debt that will be difficult to repay as demand and prices fluctuate.
“Moreover, in the Niger Delta where most hydrocarbons are extracted, there are significant risks if companies continue to operate without due care, under the current system of weak enforcement of standards and regulations.
“Our research contains reports of negative health and economic impacts for communities living near gas infrastructure, and with expansion, they are likely to experience more negative impacts due to exposure to gas and other hazardous wastes, compounding decades of oil pollution.
“We also noticed constant gas flaring contributes to toxic air, water, and land. The community also informed our field experts that NAOC dumps toxic waste and has not decommissioned abandoned assets.
“The members of the community also complained of severe health impacts, including cancers, eye, bronchial, rheumatic, neurological, cardiovascular, developmental, and reproductive disorders.Florence Ibok-Abasi, SDN’s Acting Country Director, in her comment on the report, said, “The health and environmental impacts associated with fossil fuel production have been documented for several decades but largely ignored in favour of profits.