- The CSOs urge African leaders to end fossil fuel subsidies and tax oil and gas companies to provide money for communities’ renewable-driven programmes.
- The world needs to move away from fossil fuel, or at least drastically reduce carbon emissions, since the 1.5-degree target in the Paris Climate Pact is already extremely hard to reach.
Nigerian Civil Society Organisations under the banner of People’s Annual General Meeting (People’s AGM), with a focus on climate and environmental justice issues, have advised presidents and other heads of government on the African continent to reject the latest Europe’s craving for oil and gas resources in Africa, saying instead, the African Development Bank, World Bank, export agencies, as well as other development finance institutions, should stop financial fossil fuel exploration on the continent.
The People’s AGM Platform was established in May 2022 in Lagos, Nigeria, by leaders of community-based organisations from oil-affected communities, including the Niger Delta region, faith-based organisations, human rights groups, students, youths, and artisans, who agreed on some specific recommendations ahead of the Africa Climate Summit.
Recall that as a fallout of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, lasting over 18 months, European countries have shifted attention to Africa, especially countries with abundant fossil fuel resources, towards meeting the gas shortage in Europe caused by the trade and counter-trade barriers imposed by the parties in the Ukrainian conflict.
The group made the call at the Inaugural African Climate Change Summit held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, between 4th and 6th September 2023 in the presence of African leaders, intergovernmental organisations, regional economic blocs, United Nations Agencies, indigenous peoples, among others.
Convener of the group and Executive Director of the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), the Rev. David Ugolor, opined that African leaders should end fossil fuel subsidies instead tax oil and gas companies to provide money for communities’ renewable-driven programmes.
“We are calling on the global north to offer significant financing for loss and damages for the people of Niger Delta and other host communities and countries affected by the negative impact of fossil fuel extraction and climate change,” Ugolor said.
Ugolor said available reports at his disposal show how quickly the world needs to move away from fossil fuel or drastically reduce carbon emissions because the 1.5-degree target in the Paris Climate Pact is already tough to reach.
“Goal 13 of the 2030 Agenda emphasises the need for urgent global actions to tackle climate change. Analysis of the current situation indicates that this target will probably not be achieved, even by 2030,” he added.
Ugolor said although the multinational oil companies are divesting from on-shore to off-shore, they are not addressing the problems already created in the nation’s Niger Delta, emphasising the need to beam searchlight on the activities of Shell and other multinationals in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.