Niger Delta community to sue Agip Oil Company for unfair treatment
The people of Etiema are threatening a court action against Agip, a major oil company operating in the oil-rich Niger Delta for what they describe as unfair treatment.
The people say since oil production started in their community in 1971, there has been no significant improvement in their livelihoods.
In an interview with the Chief of Etiema, Howels Idibo Ebifate, he said “we are dying, the oil companies left us like that”. “Many of our children died as a result of negative oil operations”, the chief and community leaders said.
The leaders of the community say the oil companies give promises that are never fulfilled. “They use their mouth to make us happy”, Chief Idibo Ebifate explained.
To appease the community of the deaths of the youth, Agip, promised to give the people of an amount of five million naira. But according to the chief, for the past 10 years they have not been given the money. The oil company said the bank where the money was deposited was on strike. “For over 10 years, the bank is still on strike” the chief retorted disappointingly.
A group of Ghanaian journalists and civil society groups was in Nigeria and visited the community as part of the training of journalists in Ghana and Uganda on oil reporting by Revenue Watch Institute, Thomson Reuters Foundation and Penplusbytes.
“They did not help us at all” said Chief Idibo Ebifate. Since 2007, there has not been any viable corporate social responsibility from these companies. The oil companies built solar-powered street lights that functioned for less than two years. The oil companies again built an uncompleted primary school and it took the local community to complete the structure for themselves. “The oil companies have not set foot at the community since 1971”, he cried.
Etiema is therefore ready to battle Agip in court over what they claim is completely an unfair dealing. “We are not financially strong enough to fight the oil companies in court”, the chief said and insisted they will pursue the action if they receive support from international non-governmental organizations and agencies.
The court action he said will be in pursuance of justice for the deaths of about 20 youth as a result of oil company operations and the broken promise of 5 million naira.
It can be recalled that Oruma is the first community in the Niger Delta that has taken Shell to the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands to seek redress. Agricultural lands near Oruma have been devastated and drinking water has been polluted as the result of leakage from Shell Nigeria oil pipelines.
The Oruma case is the first of three civil suits to be brought before the court in The Hague. On May 6, 2009, the other two cases were introduced by Mr Barizaa M.T. Dooh from the village of Goi in Ogoniland and Mr Friday A. Akpan from the village of Ikot Ada Udo.
Etiema will be the second major community to take the route of civil suits to seek justice for the activities of oil companies in the Niger Delta.
Oil operations have had negative impacts on the livelihoods of the people in Etieama and their Chief cries out, “let our oil remain in the ground.”
By Stephen Yeboah
Email: [email protected]
The oil companies are not NGOs. It is not their responsibility to uplift any community. They are liable for environmental and other damages, but not for the welfare of local communities. That is the government’s responsibility.
African governments, however, have proved useless and incompetent since independence, which is why oil-rich countries remain mired in poverty and their dumb citizens blame the oil companies instead of their incompetent government. Had the incompetent governments established regulations and fiscal accountability, the communities would have prospered, but alas, the incompetent African remains for ever poor and dependent on foreign aid and handouts.
They don’t even have competent courts to try their own cases which is why they seek justice all the way there at the Hague. Why not litigate in your own courts?
What a wasted continent!