COMMUNITIES PLAYING HOST TO OIL PALM COMPANIES CRY OUT OVER INJUSTICE FROM COMPANIES

Oil Palm Producing Companies RSPO

The Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF) organized a Community Roundtable for Sustainable Oil Palm (RSPO) with the theme, Human Rights and Environmental Concerns in Okomu Oil Palm Company (OOPC) RSPO-Certified Operations" in Edo State. The intent was to educate  affected communities on the content of the RSPO and how it can be utilized as a tool to hold OOPC accountable to the alleged Human Rights and Environmental Concerns emanating from their operations .

The event which held on the 12th and 13th of July 2024 had several communities from Ovia North East, Ovia South West and Uhunmwonde local government area, representatives from the Edo State ministry of Agriculture, civil society organizations, student environmental groups and other stakeholders in attendance.

The Director of Campaigns and Administration for CODAF,   Maimoni Mariere Ubrei-Joe, who facilitated the program, explained  how the RSPO principles and key criteria can be applied by local communities in holding oil palm plantations accountable. Reading out the principles of the document and how the rights of the people have been violated, in respect to the provisions of the RSPO document and its deliverables.

He exposed the community representatives to the content of the principles of the RSPO document which states that the company is expected to behave ethically and transparently, operate legally and respect rights, and also optimize productivity, efficiency, positive impacts and resilience.

Still explaining the principles of the RSPO, the Director highlighted the need for operating companies to deliver benefits to the community, respect their rights, to support smallholder inclusion, respect worker’s rights and to protect ecosystems.

He further stated that the purpose of the meeting is to bring community members up to speed on what the RSPO is about and how they can take advantage of it. According to him, there are so many palm oil industries who are RSPO certified but on the other hand, are breaching the principles that led to their certification. 

He added that, the program will bring to the attention of  palm oil companies who are RSPO certified to understand that their violations of local communities’ human rights and environmental concerns need to be addressed urgently, and this can be done through sensitizing the people and raising their voices to be able to file a complaint against these companies, using the RSPO as a tool for accountability.

In an experience sharing segment, the community representatives shared their experiences on the conducts of Okomu Oil Palm Company, complaining that their rights have been trampled upon on different levels, as people in host communities now live as slaves inI their own land.

Abdulahi Hajaratu who represented Uhunwonde local government area stated that there are several communities in the LGA that are affected by the activities of the OOPC.

“The company invaded many communities in my LGA and started grading without consulting the people. There was a protest by some of the communities. At the end of it all, they settled some youths and forgot about everything. They grabbed the land and started locking the gate. There is no road for us to pass. We have no freedom to go anywhere. There are people who have left their communities to other communities to rent a hectare of land for seventy thousand naira (#70,000) just to farm. We need the help of the government but the government is not assisting because the company pays tax and revenue to the local government. OOPC have caused problems within the community by settling people who conspire with them, while those who refused their bribe are enemies to the company.

Akpokiniovo Rex, who represented the Okomu community in Ovia South West LGA, stated that the Okomu Oil Palm Company has not been fair to the people.

“On the 4th of May 2022, we found   excavators and other equipment in our community. We asked them what was happening and they said they wanted to block that road for no reason. We cried out and came out peacefully to demonstrate. They used men of the Nigerian Police and other security agents to stop us. They shot one Mrs. Iyabo Botu, during the protest. After the incident, I went to the Police to report. There was no response from the government or OOPC. As a citizen of that place, if I go back home after 9pm, they will lock me out of my community because OOPC has fenced and barricaded all the access roads leading to our communities into their facilities (Okomu houses).”

Anthony Igharo who represented Odiguetue community in Ovia North East stated that the activities of OOPC oil have destroyed the lands in his community without any commensurate compensation.

“We cried to the OOPC office, but they said they had paid the money to one Mr. Tony Aneni. We moved to that man’s office and he paid us peanut money. When we went back to Okomu, they said they did not know us. When we go to speak for ourselves, you will see people who are bigger than us standing behind them. We have nothing to do in this situation. We didn’t really understand what the RSPO meant and how the company is supposed to conduct themselves in our community. They are doing some part of their duties in my community so you will hardly find anybody who will speak against them.”

Also speaking at the event the National Coordinator of Community Forest Watch, Sunday Ajele, stated that the Okomu Oil Palm Company has portrayed itself to be a responsible company but research will show that most of the company’s public statements are meant to provoke public empathy and the government is not ready to investigate.

“How do you expect a company that is paying twelve billion naira tax to the state to behave responsibly? If there is any complaint against the company, the government always protects the company, which enslaves the people they are supposed to protect. The testimonies of the communities are nothing but the truth but there is nobody to listen to them? When thy try to speak up, they send security agencies to arrest and harass them.”

According to him, it is difficult for the people to fight against the company because of their “divide-and-rule” tactics which have turned the people against one another. He added that the communities should come together to speak with one voice, while filing a complaint against the company according to the RSPO document.

While sharing similar experiences in Liberia and how the RSPO document can be used to seek justice, the Program Manager of Community Rights and Corporate Governance Program of Sustainable Development Institute/ Friends of the Earth Liberia, James Otto stated that the RSPO was designed to help communities fight against injustice and human rights abuses from Oil Palm companies.

Otto, pointed out that, the first step of utilizing the RSPO is for communities to gather information about the company, their shareholders and agencies/bodies backing them up, and the tactics they use to carry out their activities.. According to him, this information gathering will also help the community to gather evidence against the company, which will be relevant in fighting these corporations by filing a formal complaint to the RSPO against the company.

He further added that the companies are able to get away with their excesses because they seek out the youths and other available people as tools within the community to fight against the people. He admonished the community representatives to be united and to speak with one voice, as this is the only way to fight these companies.

The highlights of the event included a practical demonstration of the RSPO which demonstrated how disunity, greed, bribery and other vices can distort the process of utilizing the RSPO.