The governor of Rivers, Nyesom Ezenwo
Wike has placed the blame for the recurring menace of soot and the attendant environmental degradation in the state on the security agencies
The Governor said that the destruction
of illegal refineries by security agencies were responsible for the black soot threatening the well-being of residents of the state
Governor Wike, who spoke during an interactive session on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily program stated that Rivers state had formally approached the federal government to help resolve the
the challenge, without any assistance from that quarter.
The Governor further said that security agencies must find alternative ways of destroying illegal refineries.
“We set up a technical committee to investigate the black soot problem. The committee’s report indicated that the black soot was largely a product of the destruction of illegal refineries by security agencies.
“It is not within the purview of the state government to tackle control the security agencies. Therefore, we met with them and appealed that they find alternative ways to destroy the illegal refineries.
“We also appealed to the federal government to intervene, but so far they are yet to do anything.
“We have prioritized this issue, but we cannot stop the security agencies. There must be a
refined way to stop the oil criminals, without damaging the environment,” the governor said.
“We should separate politics from governance. This issue of the environmental challenge posed by the black soot requires the direct intervention of the federal government”
