Republished from TodayFM95.1, Port Harcourt. This report was originally aired by TodayFM95.1, Port Harcourt, as part of the 2030 Marine Conservation Story Grant awarded to Oluwale Sanusi by The Colonist Report Africa, with funding from the Earth Journalism Network (EJN).
Decades of oil exploration have left communities across Nigeria’s Niger Delta grappling with environmental degradation and threats to traditional livelihoods. In Omuechi village, Obelle community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, women farmers say oil exploration has affected their access to farmland and their ability to sustain their families.
Our special report examines these concerns in the wake of Shell Petroleum Development Company’s divestment of its Well Six asset to Renaissance Africa Energy Company and asks a critical question: When an oil company exits, who takes responsibility for the environmental and livelihood consequences left behind?
The investigation also examines Nigeria’s commitment to the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and its 30-by-30 target to protect at least 30 per cent of its marine, coastal and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030.
At a National Extractive Dialogue in Port Harcourt, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) stressed that divestment must not mean an escape from environmental responsibility. Community development advocate Henry Eferegbo also called for accountability and adherence to responsible business principles.
For the women of Omuechi, however, the impact is measured in lost farmland, reduced agricultural activities and uncertainty about their livelihoods. The Niger Delta Integrated Farmers Association says it has repeatedly written to Shell seeking intervention, but without a response.
The report explores the gap between policy commitments and realities on the ground, and why responsible divestment, remediation, environmental accountability and the protection of livelihoods must remain central to Nigeria’s energy transition.
This story was produced with funding from The Colonist Report Africa as part of the 2030 Marine Conservation Target reporting initiative, supported by the Earth Journalism Network.
