ABUJA-THERE are indications that the National Assembly may press for the removal of Shell Petroleum on the board of the governing council of the Hydrocarbon Remediation Project, HYPREB, to ensure transparency in the activities of the board. The governing council is saddled with the responsibility of superintending the policies of HYPREP, providing policy guidelines relating to its functions, guide and steer HYPREP on the strategic processes required for the execution of approved projects among others as it relates to the cleaning up of Ogoni land from the oil pollution.
Already, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, has petitioned the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, alleging that Shell is the culprit in the oil pollution in Ogoniland and should not be part of the Governing Council of HYPREP for transparency. This is as the environmental group and Senator Ibrahim have concluded plan to present a Bill on Just Energy Transition for Nigeria which is expected to shift focus from the fossil fuel to renewable energy. Speaking at the launch of Just Energy Transition in Nigeria in Abuja, weekend, Senator Ibrahim said it was strange that the federal government included Shell on the governing council of HYPREP and promised to take ERA’s concerns to the National Assembly for possible action.
According to him, “That is a bit strange the inclusion of Shell on governing council) because the main culprit is Shell, when you put Shell on the board that means you cannot have free hand to do things as they should. “So I believe the authority will look into this matter and try to take Shell out of it. They could make their contributions in other ways but not on the board because this board is going to take decisions which will be bidding on everybody including Shell and the government itself.” On whether the senate will look into the matter, he promised to do his best on that regard now that his attention had been drawn to it to ensure that the culprit on the oil pollution in Ogoniland was not a member of the governing board set up by the government. Also speaking on the launch of Just Energy Transition and the proposed Bill for Renewable Energy, by the Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo-led ERA/FoEN he said, “This is a very excellent initiative because we all need energy, the whole world needs energy and what we are using basically now is fossil energy and we want to gradually switch over to renewable energy so that we will have a cleaner environment.
“So this is a very important topic being discussed all over the world and we are on the launching of this just energy transition, it is a very important issue all must get involved in. I will look at the bill on renewable energy for us to get an act to establish a national renewable energy and energy efficiency council for Nigeria. The bill is ready and it is not going to take much time. “ The Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Dr. Ojo in his remarks explained that the essence of the gathering was to launch a Nigeria energy transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources. He said, “It is also to pursue the efforts to provide a legislative backing by act of parliament for improved renewable energy access to all. As a result of the carbon emission released into the atmosphere, there is a rising earth’s temperature leading to extreme weather conditions that are resulting in catastrophic events on a global scale. “Today in Nigeria, before the rain even touches the ground at all, for thirty minutes, you see how velocity will be thus taking off the roofs and demolishing houses, this trend is increasing.
This initiative is a call to action to all for just energy transition in Nigeria that is in line with meeting also the Millennium Development Goal Seven on energy access for all. A global response to climate change culminated in the Paris Agreement in 2015 to reduce carbon and stimulate development pathway to reduce and avoid catastrophic events.” He further stated that the Nigeria government in a bid to achieve Just Energy Transition principles as stipulated in the proposed bill will put in place a renewable energy policy framework backed by an Act of Parliament that recognizes the state and non state actors roles and responsibilities in renewable energy development. Government is expected to divest investment from fossil fuels such as public finance, loans and subsidies and invest in renewable energy development to immediately prioritize efforts and financing scale and accelerate clean energy solutions for energy access to all. It will also require the provision of zero percent tariffs and VAT on a full range of decentralized renewable energy products and components and proactively engage stakeholders from government private sector and civil society organizations in decentralized renewable energy policy design.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/07/ogoni-cleanup-nass-probe-inclusion-shell-hypreb/