ERA & Our Philosophy Committees & Contacts Reports
ERA & Our Philosophy
Committees & Contacts
Reports
ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION (ERA)
SUBJECT: SHELL'S TOXIC WAR AGAINST UMUAKURU-IGBO PEOPLE
214 Uselu-Lagos Road, P.O. Box 10577, Benin City, Nigeria
tel/fax + 234 52 600 165 e-mail: [email protected]
ERA FIELD REPORT NUMBER 21
Dispatch: Umuakuru-Igbo, Etche LGA, Rivers State
From: Patrick Naagbanton
Date: April 2, 1999
HIGHLIGHTS
1.0 BACKGROUND
UMUAKURU-IGBO, is a community in Etche ethnic nation in
the North Eastern part of Rivers State. It has two local government
areas (namely Etche LGA and Omuma LGA.) North Eastern parts of Rivers
State, Etche occupies a land mass of about 1500 square kilometres and
has a population of about 600,000 peoples. Etche is bounded on the
North by Imo State, on the East by Abia State and Oyigbo in Rivers
State, on the West by Ikwere LGA and on the South by Obio Akpor LGA.
Etche is the 4th largest ethnic group in the present day Rivers State
Agriculture is the main economic base of the people with about 90% of
the population engaged in agricultural activities. The land is
"blessed" with crude oil.
Umuakuru Igbo is one of the 372 villages (and 50 towns) that make up
Etche villages. The Etche community lacks basic social amenities/infrastructures
like electricity and water.
2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL/HUMAN RIGHTS HISTORY
The infamous massacre of Nov. 1, 1990 took place in Umuchem a community
in Etche. During that massacre, units of the Mobile Police unleashed
terror on the Umuchem people, razing down their homes and murdering
scores of people.
The Risonpalm oil mill and the Delta Rubber crumb factory are situated
on Etche soil. Despite the well-documented environmental hazards
nothing has been done to salvage the situation.
3.0 THE MATTER
The project is supposed to be the dump site for all industrial wastes
collected from Shell's Eastern division Warri, Bayelsa State, Rivers
State, Imo State etc, using industrial incinerators.
In 1997 SPDC displayed an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) they
had conducted on the community land without the knowledge of the Local
Community of the Umuakuru-Igbo people.
When the people discovered the "plot" pressures were mounted on SPDC
and the Rivers State Government and other NGOs in the area over the
issue.
At a meeting between Shell and the people on June 3rd, 1998, the
community unanimously and vehemently rejected the proposed project.
Traditional rulers, opinion leaders, elders, students, women and youths
represented the community. The meeting was held at the community Town
Square and the deliberations on the project were exhaustive.
Conscious of the enormous disaster the project portends for the
community, the people conducted an independent assessment on the
project, as a direct response to the SDPC's EIA christened, "INTEGRATED
WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY (IWMF)."
4.0 ERA INVESTIGATIONS
Environmental Rights Action.s investigation reveals that the project is
hazardous to human, marine, flora and fauna. The project will contain
industrial wastes and chemical that are capable of causing cancer,
altering genes and the growth and development of foetuses.
The wastes would cause significant and irreversible damage to the
ecosystem. Worst still, ERA's study of Shell/IWMF's EIA exposed
serious technical lapses clearly showing that it falls short of
internationally acceptable standards for a project of such magnitude
and complexity.
5.0 THE PEOPLE'S CALL ON FEPA
The people have demonstrated their outright rejection of the proposal,
and have taken their case to the Federal Government through the Federal
Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), the Rivers State Government and
others.
Community youths and elders vow that they "are vehemently opposed to
the siting of the Toxic Waste dump on our soil anywhere in Etche
Kingdom. We do not need neither compensation nor remediation, instead
we demand for total rejection of the hazardous facility which is not in
line with our fundamental rights to a good environment".
CONCLUSION
The project, if allowed, will affect close to 2 million people within
Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs. ERA is also worried that the
Rivers State Government has proposed to build a civil servant housing
unit near the SPDC proposed toxic waste dumpsite. Characteristically,
Shell has divided the ranks and files of the people through unothordox
means and the project might be started anytime from now. Both FEPA and
Rivers State government appear not to be disturbed by the development.
WHAT YOU CAN DO