Minister of Environment, Suleiman Zarma, has said that the Federal Government has commenced the field level implementation of the Ogoni clean-up exercise in Niger Delta, the Guardian reports
Speaking yesterday at World Wildlife Day in Abuja, Zarma enthused that Niger Deltans would soon benefit from the project because of the exotic species of fishes in that environment. On completion, the hitherto polluted water bodies would be decontaminated to bring back life to Ogoni communities, he added.
According to him, the ministry is making efforts to clean up plastic wastes that are degrading the water bodies. After assessment of the devastation of Ogoniland by oil exploration in 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had recommended a clean-up of the area by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and the oil majors involved.
“As part of increasing our focus on life below water, Nigeria would soon be one of the countries in the world with a marine national park to be established in Niger Delta,” the minister said.“For such services, it is imperative that we do everything we can to preserve and protect marines and the diverse species therein.
“In pursuit of the above, we are guided by the 2016-2020 Environment Sector Strategic Plan, which seeks to support both the government and people in delivering economic and social changes.“We commend the efforts of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Lagos State government for tackling water hyacinth infestation in Lagos.”
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