Antinuclear

Mining corporations in Nigeria can get away with abuse of environment

You wonder why Australian uranium companies, like the French,  rush to set up operations in Africa?  This could be the explanation.

Nigerians ‘too poor to sue over corporate abuse’, News 24 2012-02-22  Geneva – Victims of environmental disasters or other abuses inflicted by corporations in Nigeria are being denied justice as they are too poor or do not know how to seek legal recourse, jurists said on Wednesday.

“Poor rural victims of corporate human rights abuse are usually unaware of their legal rights and don’t have the financial resources to file court process, gather information and evidence, and afford legal services,” said Carlos Lopez, the International Commission of Jurists’ senior legal advisor in a report.

Even though a legal aid scheme exists, it “suffers from chronic underfunding”.

“As a result, it fails to help those most in need to access judicial
remedies,” added Lopez.

The problem is illustrated by the small numbers of litigations against
corporations, despite several instances of serious pollution generated
over the decades of oil or mineral extraction.

Of the few that make it to court, even fewer manage to obtain rulings
in favour of victims, noted the report…….
The UN environment agency had said that decades of extensive oil
pollution in the Ogoniland region – which lies in the Niger Delta –
may require the world’s biggest ever clean-up.  ….
http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Nigerians-too-poor-to-sue-over-corporate-abuse-20120222

February 25, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized