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By Paul Williams
Community members, young activists and students staged a walk through the streets of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, despite the early morning rain on Friday, September 19, in a march to hold insurance companies, such as AXA, accountable over climate change manifestations.
The protesters accused major insurance companies of enabling fossil fuel projects that worsen the climate crisis, urging insurers to take responsibility and redirect their investments toward renewable energy sources.
They insisted there is a climate emergency (#ClimateEmergency) in the world, and that Insurance companies should focus on insuring the survival of the human race (#InsureOurSurvival), rather than insuring production of fossil fuels that are inimical to health.
The march which took place in the heart of Port Harcourt, saw climate advocates and residents holding placards and chanting slogans in support of a greener future which they described their action as a push for climate justice, insisting that corporations profiting from fossil fuel expansion are putting lives and livelihoods at risk.
Speaking during the rally, the coordinator of Quest for Growth and Development Foundation, Smith Nwokocha, which organisation provided platform for the march, emphasized that the world is facing a climate emergency.
He said that insurance companies play a critical role in sustaining harmful projects by offering coverage, and without such backing, fossil fuel operations cannot thrive.
Nwokocha argued that instead of insuring oil, coal, and gas activities, firms should shift their focus to supporting renewable energy solutions such as solar and wind which they maintained that investing in clean energy not only protects the environment, but also secures a sustainable future for younger generations.
“We are urging insurance companies, involved in investing and ensuring fossil fuel projects, that they should rather switch to renewable energy. Let them invest in energy that is environmentally friendly, that is not disastrous, not destructive in any form, than investing and insuring projects that disrupt our environment and impact our environment negatively.
“One can see the level of climate change these days, flooding, pollution here and there. Our health is being endangered. In fact, there is statistics that if you live above 40 years in the Niger Delta, you need to thank God, because of the impact of climate change.
“So, we are calling on insurance companies begin to invest in and insure renewable energy projects and companies that are in that line, so as to achieve a switch to clean energy,” Nwokocha said.
One of the demonstrators, Bright Chime, called on insurers to prioritize survival over profit, warning that failure to act decisively against fossil fuels would only escalate climate disasters, “while a bold move toward renewable energy would position insurance companies as key allies in the fight for a safer, healthier planet.”
He said, “Renewable energy is a welcome development to our society. It’s society-friendly, while fossil fuel has been a danger in our environment. And the study shows that in recent times, it has caused more danger than good.
“So it is time to draw the line. We need to draw the line between the fossil fuel and the renewable energy. The system we need right now is the renewable energy, the greenhouse energies, that will be environmentally friendly to our society and the demands at large.
“We are trying to communicate this message even to our students and to ensure that they from the grassroots know more about it, by bringing it to our schools to be well aware of the renewable energy and to know the danger of fossil fuel,” he said.
