Oloma Village is one of the remaining indigenous community in the Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers state. The community has a population of about 6,000 people, who predominantly engage in fishing and subsistence farming. Bonnys geographical location within the Atlantic Ocean made it the Nigerias oil terminal. |
| Name of conflict: | Mangrove forest destroyed by Shell in the Niger Delta, Nigeria |
| Country: | Nigeria |
| State or province: | Rivers State |
| Location of conflict: | Oloma Community, Bonny Local Government Area |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Oil and gas exploration and extraction Land acquisition conflicts Deforestation |
| Specific commodities: | Crude oil |
| Project details | |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Start of the conflict: | 10/2002 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) from Netherlands Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from Nigeria |
| Relevant government actors: | Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Environmental Rights Action, http://www.eraction.org/ |
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities Landless peasants Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Trade unions Fisher people |
| Forms of mobilization: | Boycotts of official procedures/non-participation in official processes Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Development of alternative proposals Objections to the EIA Official complaint letters and petitions Hunger strikes and self immolation |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover Potential: Air pollution, Waste overflow |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of livelihood, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
| Project Status | Unknown |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Migration/displacement Under negotiation Violent targeting of activists |
| Development of alternatives: | SPDC should halt the plunder and revegetate the affected sites SPDC should provide immediate relief materials to the affected communities. SPDC should stop distorting mangroves forests to lay pipelines. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | The mangrove ecosystem of Oloma Community offers valuable natural resources and potentially important food production area. Shell has invaded the community and destroyed mangroves to lay pipelines, without concluding the Environmental Impact Assessment program. This will lead to ascertain environmental, health and socioeconomic impact of their project. |
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Contributor: | Nnimmo Bassey |
| Last update | 08/04/2014 |