A social justice crusader
has called on the Federal Government to expedite action in seriously implementing the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report in Ogoni land and also take steps in addressing such similar issues prevalent in most areas of the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The President, Niger Delta Coalition Against Violence (NDCAV), Comrade Christian Lekia, made the call yesterday in Port Harcourt in an interview with The Tide.
Lekia said, the call has become crucial in view of the directive of the federal government for communities to diversify into agriculture because of the dwindling oil price in the world market.
He said, in the context of agriculture which is an option, the Niger Delta communities whose environment have been polluted with soil quality depleted by oil spillage, talking about agriculture would mean first treating the issue of clean-up of the polluted soil.
“It’s unfortunate that the Ogoni case is a test case, but what goes on in Ogoni also goes on in other Niger Delta communities”, he stated, remarking that the people who are predominately farmers and fishermen put much and reap little because the pollution has negatively impacted on the soil and waters
According to Lekia, Niger Delta people whose traditional occupation is fishing and farming still love to embark on their occupation, but regretted that environmental degradation and devastation has become the bane of the traditional people.
The only option is for the federal government and the oil multinationals whose activities have put the innocent Niger Delta people into this pitiable position to come and embark on a serious clean-up exercise.
The social crusader and Peace Advocate blamed the current crisis on the Nigerian economy to poor planning and corruption by a set of political opportunists who have the privilege to lead Nigerians, and explained that if the boom from oil had been properly handled and ploughed back into sectors as agriculture the crisis that is befalling Nigeria could not have been.
He expressed sadness that the people of the Niger Delta could not benefit fairly from the huge oil deposit in their land and even at that, activities of oil exploration also destroyed their traditional occupation which is fishing and farming.
“For justice sake, the burden lies on the federal government and those oil multinationals to clean-up the environment as to enable the poor people of the area carry out their farming activities”, he said.

Chris Oluoh