Extractive360, S4C Seeks Oil-rich Communities’ Inclusion In Energy Transition Plans
Nigeria’s Oil-rich Communities,’ conducted by S4C and partners, and urged the government to review the ETP with a view to ensure that the transition is fair and just to everyone as possible.
Speaking, the Executive Director of Spaces for Change, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, who was represented at the event by the organization’s Legal Officer, Chetachi Louis-Udeh, also expressed concern about what will happen to communities and individuals in oil bearing states whose lives depend on oil production, following the transition.
She disclosed that researchers went through the national transition plans and discovered that it was silent on communities’ concerns, especially the oil-rich communities.
She said: “From 2021 Nigeria has been deliberating on this issue, currently there’s a plan for the transition to take place and Nigeria is looking at 2060 to finally move from fossil fuel to renewable energy. However, the plan never took into consideration the voices of the people and communities in oil rich states. What then happens to oil-rich communities? What happens to individuals whose lives depend solely on crude oil, what alternatives are there for them?” she asked, while stressing the need for mainstreaming their opinions in the ETP.
She urged participants at the event to actively participate in the deliberations, adding that the main aim of the engagement was to hear their views and harness their concerns on the burning issue of energy transition.
In her paper presentation, Extractive360’s Senior Research Officer, Dr. Mercy Makpor, explained some of the key research recommendations to include prioritizing the involvement of communities in the green economy by creating spaces for healthy engagement, taking urgent steps to address environmental injustices and create an alternative livelihood for oil-rich communities as well as the involvement of women as key stakeholders in energy efficiency and environmental sustainability initiatives.
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