- Omatseye says just transition must positively impact the lives of the local community.
- The concerns stem from Niger Delta’s predominant fossil fuel provision for over 60 years.
The Olujimi of Warri, Chief Mrs Ebiyemi Omatseye, has questioned moves for Nigeria’s energy transition excluding community involvement. She said this at the COP28 side-event in Dubai, titled “Centring Impacted Communities in Nigeria’s Energy Transition”. The Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, in collaboration with the Health of Mother Earth Foundation and the Nigeria Council on Climate Change, organised the event.
According to the traditional leader, oil exploration has negatively impacted the Niger Delta region, and any attempt at just transition must positively impact the lives of the local community. She stressed the importance of positively influencing the region, especially the 95% riverine Warri Kingdom, whose livelihood depends on these resources.
The Niger Delta, a pivotal hub in the global energy framework, has been a predominant fossil fuel provider for over 60 years. While hopeful about the success of Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, she expresses concerns about the fate of the people and the Niger Delta community providing most of the fossil fuel and the resources needed for a transition. “We know that oil will not last forever, and soon, these polluting companies will move on. Where do we (the people of the community) go from there?” she queried.
In a related development, a group of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Africa at the COP28 climate summit demanded a 100 per cent energy transition. The CSOs stressed the need for Africa to transition to renewables due to the effects of climate change on the continent’s development. The CSOs at the side event include Friends of East Africa Foundation, Environmental Rights Action, Hands of Mother Earth, Africa Working Group against Geoengineering and Environmental Rights Action, Africa Coal Network, and Climate Action Network Africa.