End Plastic Pollution in Nigeria, ANEEJ Urges Tinubu, National Assembly

.....calls on IOCs to disclose Material Environmental payments to govt

By Lucky Isibor

A foremost non-governmental organisation with thematic areas in environmental and economic rights, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), has called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the 10th National Assembly to take steps to enact laws and initiate policies geared towards ending Plastic Pollution in Nigeria, just as it called on the International Oil Companies (IOCs) including Shell, Chevron and others operating in Nigeria to disclose material environmental payments to governments in line with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) requirements.

ANEEJ Executive Director, the Rev David Ugolor who made the call in a statement issued in Benin City Monday, 5 June to mark this year’s World Environment Day pointed out the dangers inherent in plastic pollution in Nigeria, noting that the rate of Plastic Pollution in Nigeria both in towns and cities as well as ocean bodies is alarming and will lead to a major catastrophe if urgent steps are not taken to end the production and use of plastic and cellophane in Nigeria.

While urging the Tinubu led federal government to take a cue from Rwanda where the use of plastics and cellophane has since been banned, Ugolor recommended the use of degradable paper bags for use in Nigeria and noted that policies and government action is required to achieve success in this regard.

“In Rwanda, here in Africa, you do not see plastics or cellophane anywhere. All supermarkets and soft drinks producing companies are, by law, prohibited from using these environmentally hazardous materials for packaging. We can replicate the Rwanda example in Nigeria. This is why we are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to take urgent steps to bring out solutions to end the use of plastic and cellophanes in Nigeria,” Ugolor stated.

The ANEEJ Chief said this year’s theme of the World Environment Day, “Solutions to Plastic Pollution” was very apt for Nigeria where there is widespread pollution across our cities and communities, blocking drains and drainages as well as being pumped into our water bodies and contributing to international water bodies pollution.  

Ugolor also berated the actions of Shell, Chevron and other multinational oil companies operating in Nigeria for brazenly violating the EITI principles and standards for the disclosure of material environmental payments to government in line with requirement 6.4 of the EITI Standard which requires implementing countries to disclose material environmental payments to governments, pointing out that the standard encourages the disclosure of information related to environmental impact and monitoring, adding that it is important to be transparent about the expectations and the actual contributions made to provide a more complete picture for all stakeholders involved.

“Oil producing Communities in Nigeria do not always know how much companies are obliged to contribute according to their contracts. There is usually misunderstanding about what constitutes a mandatory and voluntary social and environmental expenditure and lack of access to the contractual terms makes unsuspecting oil communities and public oversight challenging".