Tina Amanda
With the damaging health effect and environmental impacts of oil bunkering activities which have caused persistent soot in Rivers state, an Environmentalist, Ebiaridor Kentebe, has called for drastic actions to be taken by the federal government to mitigate the silent-killer menace.
Kentebe who is the Programme Manager, Environmental Right Action, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, in an interview with our correspondent, implored the government to move beyond words and begin to take actions to save the Niger Delta region, most especially Rivers State from the killer soot.
According to him, safeguarding the lives and property of the people is part of the government’s mandate which has so long been neglected while the people of the Oil region suffer much from the brunt of illegal Oil activities.
Kentebe further said that if the government is serious to end the soot menace in the state, they should first trace those involved, trace the market for the business and dissolve it.
“We have seen little or no effort from the government in trying to mitigate the soot situation. Government has failed and is not even making any attempt to address the issues around soot, it is a big failure on the part of the government.
“We know that this issue is beyond Rivers State government, the federal government needs to take more proactive measures in ensuring that what is happening in Niger Delta creeks, most especially Port Harcourt is stopped immediately.
“The entire Rivers State is polluted, people can no longer breath fresh air, it is totally unacceptable. We understood that there is a group involved in this illegal business, we also understood that there is a market for it and because the market is still in existence that is why the business is in existence.”
He, however, alleged that security agencies are aiding and abetting the movement of illegal oil activities in the state, as no tangible effort is made by the military to sincerely put an end to such illicit business.
“The military is not exempted in all of this, they have not shown any sign of trying to reduce the illegal bunkering activities in the Niger Delta. Very sadly, if you go to all communities in Rivers State, you will see security agencies checkpoints at different parts, you will also see checkpoints on the waterways.”
“These checkpoints are not there because of insecurity or cult clash, they are there because they are aiding and abetting the movement of these illicit activities going on in the region. Until this illegal activity is genuinely resisted by the military, by the federal and state government, Port Harcourt will have no hope of getting clean air.”
