2nd July 2020
It is so disheartening watching this video documentary ( https://youtu.be/gxPvn-jlzME )how the flood has been threatening and ravaging a whole community of ONNE in Eleme Local Government in River State as a result of the profiteering activities of a company called: Intels Nigeria Limited(https://www.intelservices.com/)
In the video documentary, the community accused INTELS that due to its increasing business activities, the company built and extended its buildings to block the major channel of the community waterways and since then, the people of ONNE has been thrown into a state of jeopardy and confusion.
An account of the Traditional Ruler of Njuru-Ogolma Community, Chief Friday Lewa Kanwi, who said INTELS actually offered help in building an alternative water channel, but they(the community) advised the company(Intels) to channel the waters into the river, but the company refused and decided to channel into a BORROW PIT. Whenever it’s raining, the Borrow pit usually gets overfilled and spills its content back to the community thereby making the community suffer huge floods and losses.
My assessment of the video shows that 1. There is no drainage system in the whole community 2. The alternative Drainage built by INTELS and PRODECO for the community was not properly done, also channeling the whole Onne community water into the Borrow Pit is like forcing a Carmel to pass through the eye of a needle. 3. The State Government and the LGA have no presence in that community as they never built infrastructure in a community that they generate so much income from. 4. INTELS community engagement mechanism is very poor (The community said this is what they want, but Intels went ahead to do something else which the community is not happy about and rather affecting them negatively. 5. The people of ONNE also have a role to play by desisting from disposing of their waste in the alternative drainage built by INTELS and PRODECO.
Way Forward
1. The government at the state and local levels should come to the aid of the community by building a holistic drainage system for the community and also accessible road networks.
2. INTELS and other multinationals should go back to the drawing boards by re-engaging the community towards an agreed solution in restoring environmental sanity in the ONNE community.
3. INTELS should reassess its CSR programs and properly reassess the NEEDS of the host communities, and prioritize such.
4. The community should be sensitized about the effect and negative impact of improper waste disposal, rules should be in place to control such habit, then sanction or penalty should be melted at anyone who violates such rules.
5. Waste bins should be donated to the communities either per household or per street and plans should be in place to periodically evacuate the waste. (The government can take up this responsibility or the multinationals in the communities can take up the initiative as part of their CSR initiatives and programs.
Conclusion
Companies should rethink their strategies and incorporate and prioritize sustainability thinking (Environment, Social, and Economy). It is only when the “environment” is viable that the “society” can thrive, whereas both economy and society are constrained by environmental limits, and if we want a vibrant society, we also need an economic system that will organise production and consumption in a sustainable manner. This shows clearly that business decisions can no longer be taken only on economic or profit consideration alone as business success is and largely dependent on the two other factors (The environment and the society)
It is important to always consider “IMPACT” of our business decisions, operations, and activities on the environment, people, and business itself. We should shun decisions and operations that will impact negatively on the triple-bottom-line and increase activities that promote positive impacts as this will go a long way in helping us achieve a just, peaceful, and sustainable world and future for all.
Debo Adeniyi
Executive Director,
Centre for Global Solutions and Sustainable Development