By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has raised the alarm on continued climate pollution by multinational oil firms.
The group joined hundreds of other civil groups rallying globally to demand that delegates at the climate talks in Marrakech, Morocco in November take urgent action to protect United Nations climate treaty meetings from interference.
Protesters carried placards in their march on the premises of Chevron in Lagos, demanding it be held accountable for various infractions, including the Parabe platform incident in Ondo State in 1998 for which the locals are yet to get justice.
The event was part of the October global days of action, tagged “Reclaim Power”, in over 50 countries calling for a just and sustainable energy system and for policymakers to end the influence and obstruction of climate policy by transnational fossil fuel corporations. Ayodele Akele, former Lagos State governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), who spoke during the protest, demanded the suspension of the activities of Chevron and other big pollutants in the country.
He said their explorations pose great environmental threat to the lives of citizens.
“Chevron is among the big pollutants in the land, their activities are polluting our lands, reducing the lives of average citizens and in fact causing the untimely death of thousands of our citizens. All efforts must be made to kick them out,” he declared.
“Above all, they are among those manipulating climate talks. Delegates in next month’s climate talks in Marrakech, Morocco must not allow them to influence or interfere in their meetings because they are exploiters of our environment.”
ERA/FoEN vowed to press on until a just and sustainable energy system that would stop climate pollution is put in place for a friendlier environment.
“We need people across the globe taking bold action to compel our leaders to make change at the international level.
“The world’s largest polluting industries have been successful in positioning themselves as stakeholders and necessary players in developing solutions to climate change.
“But these entities, with their profit-motivated conflicts of interest, have only delayed, blocked and weakened climate policy,” the grou