A renowned African environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey, says oil extractions in Africa have caused decades of environmental degradation and disruption of livelihoods than the benefits to the local economy.
Bassey stated this in Dubai shortly after the screening of a documentary on the continuous burning of fire on the Ororo oil well in Ondo State for the past three years.
This fire, experts said, was harming the marine ecosystem and disrupting fishing and other economic activities of the nearby communities.
Although billions of dollars have come to Africa through oil and gas, Bassey said the suffering of the people as a result of the induced environmental crisis outweighed the benefits.
“If you look at the environment and the lives of the people and count the cost that people have had to suffer because of oil extractions, you find out that the equation is negative.
“It is a deficit economy. So now, we can invest in renewable energy and clean up, that will create a lot of jobs and will tackle the issue of unemployment on the continent.
“So that is the direction we should go, rather than digging deeper,” said Bassey, who is the Executive Director, Home of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF).
On the way to move the economy forward on the continent, the renowned environmental activist said Nigeria, for instance, was a richer country before oil for its agricultural potential.
“We had a better education system, we had infrastructure, better social services, better agriculture and the regions were more independent and Nigerians were co-hold ahead of better and good forex exchange.
“If we look back from where we are coming from, no matter how far we have gone in a wrong direction, it is not too late to retrace our steps.
Sharing the same view, Salome Nduta, a Kenyan environmentalist, called for solidarity with the residents of the affected communities in seeking an end to the environmental issues.
“Once we accept this is our problem, we join in solidarity. Because I have watched, I should say I have not watched alone, I should think of what I can do at a personal level .
“We need to constantly speak on behalf of the communities suffering from this,” she said.