COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE HOST COMMUNITIES’ NETWORK NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY HELD IN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE

The Host Communities Network (HoCoN) with support from the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) and Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), organized its National General Assembly on April 14, 2021 in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The broad objective of HoCoN is to mobilize members of host communities to any kind of resource extraction for environmental justice campaigns and expose cases of environmental degradation that are either not reported or underreported. This is informed by HOCON philosophy that environmental degradation anywhere is environmental degradation everywhere.

Before the National General Assembly, participants were treated to insightful presentations by the Acting Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria Barr. Chima Williams – Human and Environmental Rights: The obligation of the state in preserving these rights; Head of Bayelsa Office of ERA/FoEN Chief Alagoa Morris – X-Raying the Nigeria’s Environmental Challenges: Monitoring and reporting, who bears the burden?; the CSO Representative on the Governing Council of HYPREP Comr. Celestine Akpobari – Community organizing against environmental and human rights abuses and the Coordinator, Food Sovereignty Program of ERA/FoEN Barr. Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje – A healthy environment, a healthy food systems – the road to a healthy nation.

The meeting that had as its theme: Connected Resistance, was geared towards strengthening the Host Communities Network by engaging the traditional members as well as infusing new ones into the stable, deliberate on the state of the Nigerian environment from communities’ perspective, drawing up advocacy action plan for effective environmental monitoring and reporting and to elect and inaugurate a new National Executive Committee.

Participants commended the huge input and contributions of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) since giving birth to HoCoN in 2007 and appealed for continuous assistance to enable the group stand and serve the purpose of her formation.

The highpoint of the National General Assembly with participants drawn from ten States across Nigeria which includes: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Kogi, Plateau and Rivers was the election of new National Executive Committee Members of the Network and these includes: Octogenarian Comr. Che Ibegwura (Rivers State) – National Patron; Prince Barbs Preye Pawuru (Edo State) – President; Chief Mrs. Ayibakoro Warder (Bayelsa) – Vice President; Hon. Godwin King (Akwa Ibom) – Secretary General; Shombot Nyam (Plateau State) – P.R.O; Jonah Gbemre (Delta State) – Financial Secretary and Dr. Kelechi Okezie (Ebonyi State) – Treasurer.

At the end of the engaging discussions, Participants observed thus:

1. The Host communities bear the brunt of environmental degradation from resource extractions but are not recognized in decision making and resource benefits sharing.  The few individuals who are supposed to represent the communities in the resource benefits sharing live in luxury while the vast majority wallow in abject poverty amidst plenty.
2. All sources of water in oil producing communities in the Niger Delta are exposed to oil pollution, forcing fishing activities to drop and crops experience stunted growth.  Reported cases of acid rain further pollute other sources of water and cause skin poisoning (rashes and burn),among others among locals
3. The Land Use Act of 1978 continues to deprive members of host communities the enjoyment of the resources in their environment
4. The International Oil Companies (IOCs) do not respond to incidences of oil pollutions early enough, and heap the blame of these incidences on host communities
5. Despite the commencement of the Ogoni cleanup, all the emergency measures suggested by the UNEP in its Assessment Report have not been implemented. There is no water in the communities and there are documented cases of cancer, low sperm count etc among natives. Of utmost worry is the fact that excavated polluted soil from toxic sites in Ogoni has become additional source of pollution in most Ogoni communities especially during the rains.
6. State governors are now the major agents of deforestation due to their quest for mechanization of agriculture and high way constructions that lead to land grabs and depriving communities of their original land and livelihood. 
7. Multinationals and Biotech Industries are trying hard to get our children addicted to harmful food products, creating health challenges for children and further contaminates our local food systems
8. Shell hides under a supposed divestment which includes going offshore, to shy away from addressing decades of environmental degradation.
9. There is a huge discrepancy between the volume of gas flare reported by Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Gas Flare tracker which is domiciled with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA). This cause economic loss for the nation and continues to impoverish members of the host communities

It was therefore unanimously recommended that:

1. A comprehensive environmental audit of the State of Nigerian environment should be carried out by the Nigerian government with the help of HoCoN
2. Nigerian government  pay the Ogoni nation an ecological debt for decades of pollution, neglect of their polluted environment, displacement of her people and denying them justice, while kicking against new oil well drilling.
3. Nigerian government immediately halt the drift to full blown tyranny occasioned by the growing cases of suppression of the rights of the people of Nigeria, and that all cases of extraction should accompany EIA Report.
4. Need for a Bill by States to revoke the licenses of IOCs that pollutes the environment without adequate compensation to communities.
5. Government should quickly wade into the farmers and herders crisis as a security risk with the effect to reduce food sufficiency in our various communities.
6. Agro-ecology and food sovereignty should be promoted as they remain the bold future of farming and food systems that represents the best agricultural practices that are in harmony with nature and cools the planet
7. Halt continued gas flares, oil spills, illegal mining, deforestations, flooding, water contamination with chemical by companies and other environmental degradations in communities.
8. Nigerian Government must align with the global trend of using the gas flare tracker for tracking gas flare volumes with the relevant agencies collecting accurate gas flare penalties that can help the economic revival of the nation and in tandem with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

Signed:

Prince Barbs Preye-Pawuru, President, HoCoN                                       

Hon. Godwin King, Secretary General HOCON

Barr. Chima Williams , Acting Executive Director, ERA/FoEN             

Maimoni Ubrei-Joe, Desk Officer (HOCON) ERA/FoEN.Mariere

Comrade Che Ibegwura, Immediate Past President/National Patron.