Dependency on oil has not helped Nigeria- Ojo
The executive director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friend of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo has said that oil dependency has not helped the country and urged the government to focus on alternatives. Speaking at a public presentation of a book ‘Nigeria Beyond Oil: Pathway to a Post-Petroleum Economy’ in Lagos, Ojo said oil dependency has only fueled conflict, corruption, pollution, and wastage while contributing to climate change and the destruction of lives and rural livelihoods.
“It is now a painful lesson that a whopping US1 billion will be required for the initial take off of the clean up of Ogoni according to the UNEP assessment report and recommendations. Since 2011 when the federal government accepted the report, not a drop of oil has been cleaned up. The sum of US$100 billion initial take off grant is required for the clean up of the entire Niger Delta. In spite of the huge oil revenue, poor infrastructural development, gap of inequalities and social disparity is on the rise in Nigeria being one of the highest in the world.”
The book however responds to the question of what development pathway to get the nation out of the woods. “It seeks to align national development goal to the global shift from fossil fuel dependence to cleaner and efficient fuels such as solar and wind energy that abounds in Nigeria.” It also reiterates ERA/FoEN position of economic decarbonisation by 2050. Ojo said: “Let’s leave oil in the soil and plan the economy as if oil resources are already exhausted. Let’s transit from oil dependency to safe and decentralized renewable alternatives of community controlled energy systems such that communities are co-producers and suppliers as well as beneficiaries from renewable energy investment in mini-grids and non-grid systems.”
The book makes case for funding divestment from oil exploration and development and the removal of loans, grants and subsidies to be invested in renewable energy development and infrastructure that should attract zero tariff. It also advances legislative backing to increase Nigeria’s energy mix and revenue from non-oil revenue sources. It draws attention to the issues of natural resource governance, its inclusiveness and sustainability and the need for policy and institutional change to support an energy transition from oil dependency to alternatives in renewable sources.
It promotes the cause of sustainable management and conservation of resources including the rights of nature and citizen’s rights to protect it, right to safe, healthy environment, protection of forested landscapes and livelihoods, enforcement of extant laws for environmental crimes, and transparency and accountability issues. “In particular, agricultural development should not be to promote large scale agro-business and land grabbing but to support local small scale farmers facing displacement and equip them with post-harvest infrastructure for the added value to stem food deficits and supply from areas of surplus to areas of needs,” the environmentalist said, adding, that the recommendations in the book will assist policy makers in re-framing resource governance in Nigeria and build policy frameworks for post-oil Nigeria.
