UPDATE ON THE 2ND PEOPLES AGM AND RALLY HELD IN ABUJA, NIGERIA
MAY 17TH AND 18TH, 2023
As the AGMs of oil multinationals such SHELL, Total Energies, Exxon Mobil, and others hold this season, the peoples AGM platform convened by ANEEJ organized an alternative AGM in Abuja, Nigeria to discuss and take resolution on concrete issues affecting the people of Niger Delta and other frontline communities suffering environmental degradation and loss of livelihood due to oil and gas exploration activities. A total of 68 participants from all around Nigeria, including the Niger Delta and other emerging oil-producing States, attended the meeting. The 2nd Peoples AGM brought together prominent activists from the Niger Delta and the Northern part of Nigeria in order to create a united front against increased oil and gas investment, which threatens the environment, human health, and the global climate.
Observations were made and a ten-point resolution was agreed upon by the leadership of the people’s AGM. There were solidarity messages from different groups around the world working on environmental justice issues. The resolution is available on the links provided below.
Click to See Resolution of the Meeting.
Click to Watch the Resolution of the Meeting
Earlier, on May 16, 2023, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), the convener of the people’s AGM wrote an open letter to Nicolai Tangen, the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. The letter urged the Bank to follow the Church of England’s commitment to vote against all directors at the upcoming AGMs of Exxon Mobile, Occidental Petroleum, Shell, and Total Energies, in response to their failure to meet climate change objectives. The letter also refuted the claim by the bank in her responsible investment report that progress was being made with the Ogoni cleanup. The letter further called on the Norwegian Oil Fund to visit the Niger Delta region of Nigeria to see the true situation of things.
Rally
Following the outcome of the Peoples AGM, a rally was held on Thursday, May 18th, 2023 to echo the people’s resolutions and demands to the Nigerian government, multinational oil and gas companies and their investors as well as other industry players both locally and internationally. The rally was held in front of NNPC Limited, Nigerian National Oil Company, where the AGM resolution was presented to the leadership of NNPC Limited. The peoples AGM wants the President of Nigeria and the NNPC Ltd to withdraw the operating license of SHELL because of their complicity in the environmental and ecological injustices ranging from divestment from on-shore to off-shore leaving behind the problems it created in the Niger Delta, weakened climate change commitment for short-term profit, and it’s poor human rights record in Nigeria.
MEDIA APPEARANCE
There was also an extensive discussion on TVC to share thoughts on the climate crisis and the lack of political will by the government to drive the transition process, double standard by multinationals, weak regulation by NNPC Limited, among other issues. The link to the discussion is here. The interview was held on May 18 2023.
Media links For News (VIDEOS)