From 8-15 May, 2005 six community activists, many of them living on the fenceline of South Africa's oil and petrochemical industries, visited areas in Nigeria deeply affected by the economic and environmental costs of oil exploration. This exchange bought activists from Boipatong, Sasolburg, Secunda, south Durban, Steel Valley and Richards Bay to the Niger Delta, a region of Nigeria that has been scared by nearly a half century of oil drilling, gas flaring, and the resulting pollution.
A gas flare site in Akala-Olu community, Port Harcourt Nigeria
During this trip, our delegation visited Port Harcourt, Rivers State (9-12 May) and Yenagoa, Baylesa State (13-15 May). In each community, we met with elders and youths, community organizers and local farmers listening to their stories while imparting our experiences and lessons learned. Along with our community visits, we were also able to address University students and government officials, discussing the obstacles facing a democratic Nigeria and a post-apartheid South Africa.
The mission of this exchange was for our delegation to gain a first hand understanding of the negative impact of oil production activities on the people and environment of the Niger Delta. It was also important for us, as fellow campaigners for environmental justice to bear witness to the environmental degradation and human rights abuses pertpetuated by the oil corporations and the Nigerian government and express our solidarity with their struggles. We also introduced the bucket air sampling mechanism, leading workshops in each community to demonstrate how this air sampling device could be used measure air pollution levels.
This exchange was organized and facilitated by the Air Quality Project Coordinator for groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa and activists from Environmental rights Action (ERA), Friends of the Earth Nigeria. The program coordinator of groundWork USA also helped to facilitate this exchange and Tony Carnie, a journalist who covers environmental issues for the Durban Mercury, also participated in the week-long trip.
Click here for the first, second and third installments of Tony Carnie's three-part series on our trip to the Niger Delta.
Posted by Toussaint at August 2, 2005 01:57 AM