CSOs to train lawmakers on best practices in oil sector

Civil society organizations in the Niger Delta region have concluded plans to train both national and state lawmakers on internationally accepted best practices in the oil sector of the Nigerian economy.

Making the disclosure over the weekend in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital during a one -day sensitization meeting on advocacy for best practices in the management of oil projects and their impact in the region,

Dr. Kabari Sam of the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) revealed that oil majors in the country take undue advantage of the nation’s weak legal framework to abuse internationally accepted best practices in the oil sector.

Dr Kabari Sam, who is also CEHRD head of environment and conservation unit, further blamed Nigerians for colluding with the foreign oil corporations and their partners to flout local regulations dealing on best practices to the detriment of both the governments and the people.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meet, he said that “between now and November, that meeting is going to hold because they now have standing committees in the assemblies. We’re going to train them in two things.

“The first thing is on biodiversity audit. The reason why we want to train them on biodiversity audit is because the environment impact assessment process needs to be enshrined in our laws.

People need to follow up environment impact assessments. People can’t do environment impact assessments and go to sleep, nobody follows it up. So, we want to look at the importance of biodiversity audit.

“And then this, because we want the laws that they’re going to be making to incorporate best practices in the management of oil projects. So, that’s why we want to train the legislators both at the state and federal levels.”

On why oil companies flout existing regulations and framework on best practices with impunity, he stated that “it’s because we have a culture of non -compliance to rules in Nigeria.

And in addition to that perennial problem, we also have very weak regulations and very weak frameworks.

So, when they come into our country and see that people can decide to flout the rules and walk away with it, they have no reason to kill themselves to comply with the laws.

“Most times, we live at the mercies of the oil firms because they know that they can do these things and walk away with them. And so, we’re also our own problems.”

Pius Dukor of the Pius Dukor Foundation for Community Development and Advancement, a participant at the one -day meet informed our correspondent that another dangerous area often overlooked by communities is the impact of oil exploration activities on the environment.

“Communities should also investigate and query seismic operations in their domains as the dynamites and chemicals in oil explorations are the beginning of our troubles,”

he said and commended the CEHRD for the enlightenment meeting which he observed would ginger communities to demand for their rights from multinational oil companies.

The one -day sensitization meeting which took place at the SwissSpirit Hotel along Stadium Road in the Garden city attracted community leaders and civil society organizations from across the Niger Delta region.