.Wants Chevron prosecuted
By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
The Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has raised the alarm on the hazard triggered by continued environment/ climate pollution by multinational oil firms.
ERA/FoEN has joined hundreds of other civil groups globally to urge delegates at next month’s climate talks in Marrakech, Morocco, to take urgent action to protect the United Nation (UN) climate treaty meetings from fossil fuel industry interference.
ERA/FoEN along other civil society groups on Tuesday protested at the premises of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) in Lagos, demanding that the oil giant be held accountable for various infractions, including the Parabe platform incident in Ondo State in 1998 for which 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 more just and sustainable energy system and for policymakers to end the undue influence and obstruction of climate policy by transnational fossil fuel corporations.
Comrade Ayodele Akele, the Lagos State governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in the last general election, who spoke during the protest, called for the suspension of Chevron’s activities as well as other big pollutants operating in the country as their exploration activities 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 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. Above all, they are among those manipulating climate talks. Delegates in the 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” he noted.
In a statement by ERA/FoEN, the group vowed to ensure that it would not stop until a just and sustainable energy system that would stop climate pollution was put in place for a friendlier environment.
