Communities impacted by the West African Gas Pipeline(WAGP) project have demanded for adequate compensations for ruined farmlands and ponds
This was contained in a Communiqué issued at the end of a one-day capacity building workshop on Redressing the Negative Gender Impacts of the West African Gas Pipeline.
Below is the details of the communiqué:-
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) organised a one-day follow up capacity building workshop on Redressing the Negative Gender Impacts of the West African Gas Pipeline on 14 September 2014 in Iwerekhan Community in Delta State.
At the workshop, ERA/FoEN brought together over 100 women in the target five communities in Badagry and Iwherekan to share knowledge on the long-term impacts of environmental pollution; particularly gas flaring in both communities and how they can mobilise to resist the practice. The workshop also documented changes since the first capacity building workshop organised by ERA/FoEN in 2014.
In her opening words, ERA/FoEN Gender focal person, Adesua Ero said that the challenges confronting women in the two communities are similar as they both host pipelines that spew their contents unannounced a well as gas flare stacks that pollute the air.
In the light of this, she urged the women to unite and speak in one voice so that their position could be easily understood by the public and promoters of WAGP.
A journalist, Omafume Amurun enlightened the women on how they can amplify their voices using the media, while Chinedum Adebunmi of the British Council took the participants on a run through a presentation entitled Women and Pipelines: Documenting Impacts.
At the end of the robust discussions, the participants observed that since the last community visit in 2014 the following have been observed:
1. Women in Badagry and Iwerekhan communities still suffer from oil pollution, gas flaring and other negative fallouts of the West Africa Gas Pipelines that crisscross their communities
2. Promoters of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) project have still carried on with their lies while failing to implement the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects they publicise to have implemented or allocated funds for in Badagry and Iwerekhan communities
3. In the few windows of opportunity to take discuss and take decisions on how to confront the challenges of the WAGP operations, women are still not part of the decision-making process
4. Community farmlands in the right of way of the WAGP in Badagry and Iwerekhan are still being destroyed and livelihoods lost
5. Promoters of WAGP still engage in divide-and-rule which aims at pitching the women against each other
6. The media still under-reports the impacts of the WAGP on women in the host communities and right-of-way of the pipeline
Participants therefore resolved to:
1. Continue monitoring their environment and documenting impacts of the pipelines on their communities
2. Expose the lies of the WAGP promoters in their yearly report that claim CSR projects are being implemented and/or monies allocated for community-based projects that benefit women
3. Be more forthcoming in speaking up and defending women views whenever opportunities arise for decision-taking in the communities
4. Demand adequate compensations for ruined farmlands and ponds
5. Resist divide and rule tactics of WAGP promoters and their agents by aggregating speaking with one voice in making clear demands
6. Deepen engagement with the media in reporting the gender impacts of the WAGP operations in Badagry and Iwerekhan communities
