It Is Not Possible To Eliminate Oil Spills – Environmentalist

Dr. Marvin Barinem Dekil, an environmental expert of international repute has a consuming passion for the conservation and preservation of the environment.

After several years of researching on the environment and consulting for many companies both in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, he is today in the technical team of a renowned global watchdog for the environment, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nigeria which is currently assessing oil spill sites in four Ogoni local government areas of Rivers State, namely; Eleme, Khana, Tai and Gokana local government areas.

Dr. Dekil who holds a doctorate degree in Environmental Monitoring from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom strongly believes that the presence of UNEP in Ogoniland is a great feat and that the United Nations agency requires the support and co-operation of the people to actually accomplish its assignment.

Speaking with The Tide in a special interview, Dr. Dekil called on stakeholders, regulatory authorities and oil companies to partner so as to reduce to a manageable level, the high incidence of oil spills in Ogoniland in particular and the Niger Delta region in general.

This, he said was imperative because, according to him, it was not possible to completely eliminate oil spills.

The environmental technocrat also explained that it was not proper for the stakeholders including the government, the oil companies and regulatory authorities to wait until there was a spillage before rising to the occasion to clean up the environment.

Hs words: “It is not that there must be a spill before we can clean up. We want all stakeholders, the regulatory authorities, the oil companies to work together to ensure that incidents of oil spillages are reduced. It is not possible to eliminate spills, at least, reduce it to a manageable level.”

The Ogoni-born pollution control expert who recently delivered a thought-provoking paper during the Gokana Leadership Summit described the environmental situation in terms of oil spills in Gokana Local Government Area as catastrophic, stressing, however, that with the presence of UNEP in Ogoniland to clean up oil spill sites, there was a glimmer of hope in the horizon.

Hear him: “The situation in Gokana today, when you talk about the environment is a nightmare. It is most catastrophic. I am sorry to use such words. Some people have said that what we have in Ogoniland, some parts of Gokana could be likened to what we have in the Gulf of Mexico where we have a massive oil spill. British Petroleum is paying aout 20 billion dollars in terms of compensation. So, we have a very bad situation in Gokana, bad situation which was caused by some of our people. It is a two-way thing. However, there is serious effort being made to clean up these places. Progress is being done in that direction. In terms of development, government is doing much. I have to give credit to the local government chairman.”

Based on the intervention of the Federal Government and UNEP, Dr. Dekil reiterated that his Ogoni people owed the UN and the government tremendous support.

“UNEP as an organisation has an official channel for media communication which I am not here representing but UN has come here out of the request of the Federal Governemnt. And UN is here to help. All we need to do is to key into this initiative and give them all the support they need to do their job,” he said, stressing that UNEP’s intervention in Ogoniland which started in October last year was the first of its kind as it was only in the area that such a remediation work was taking place in the country.

Giving more instight into the activities of UNEP in Ogoniland, the technocrat said: “What we are doing today is an environmental assessment of spill sites in Ogoniland. It is a prelude to remediation work in Ogoniland. This should be the foundation of anything else. This project is going on smoothly in Gokana, Tai, Khana and Eleme. And this problem has to be fixed. Our people must change our attitude. And that attitudinal change is what we want to appeal to our people to imbibe.”

Commenting on what informed the Gokana Leadership Summit, tagged, ‘Gokana Today and Gokana Tomorrow’; Dr. Dekil who also holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Pollution Control from the University of Leads, United Kingdom explained that the summit was organised for the people to see the need to key into government policies and programmes as well as appreciate the need to protect what they have today for the purposes of tomorrow.

His words: “The summit, as conceived by the council chairman, Hon. Victor Giadom, you know that this man is very attentive to the needs of his people. Gokana people have felt the presence of government but they need to reciprocate. They need to show that they appreciate what government is doing. They need to protect whatever project that has been provided for them. They need to key into any government policy and programme to improve their environment, provide a future for themselves and the future generations. That is the whole essence of the summit, for leadership today, to groom leadership tomorrow.”

He said the paper he presented at the summit, titled, ‘Sustaining Our Environment And Wealth For Future Generations’, had succeeded in opening the eyes of the people to the reality on ground and made them to see the need to protect the environment.

“It is not just to lead today, and if we all destroy our environment, destroy our people, then, who will lead tomorrow? And what are they going to be living for? I made a case for them to understand that Ogoni is the richest part of the Niger Delta, not because we are the richest as a people, not because we are the richest in terms of people and personalisties but that our forefathers had managed to sustain this place. So, we need to keep it and possibly improve on it in terms of the environment, the wealth and all that goes with it. We have a responsibility to deliver a health environment to the future,” he declared.

Against this backdrop, the environmental expert gave his people a message of hope, saying that the Federal Government had shown enough goodwill by inviting UNEP into Ogoniland.

According to him, “the message I have for my people is that there is hope for them but  they must work with the government. The government has also in turn shown goodwill by inviting a body like UNEP, a global watchdog for the environment to Ogoniland. I like you to note that of all the local governments in Nigeria, UNEP came to Ogoniland at the request of the Federal Government. This project is not done anywhere in the country. And no individual can invite the UN into the country except the Federal Government. So, the Federal Government listened to our request to clean up the environment. Why should we as a people reject this offer.”

Commenting on politics, Dr. Dekil said he was passionate about the welfare of the people and prudent management of state resources, for which reason he gave Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi a pat on the back for the infrastructural development of the state.

He recalled a meeting he had with Governor Amaechi in Washington DC, United States of America where he had appealed for provision of regular electricity and dualisation of Rumuola Road in Port Harcourt.

Even though he explained that he would like to concentrate on his environmental practice and  current job in UNEP, how long could he stay away from the affairs of state and politics?

Dr. Dekil who bagged his first degree in Microbiology from the University of Port Harcourt replied in these words: “I will say that I am most grateful to our political leadership in Gokana Local Government Area, talking of the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Magnus Abe and the council chairman, Hon. Victor Giadom. Whatever they want me to be in future, I will be very happy to be involved. I am ready to serve my people in any capacity. But leadership is not a choice you make. People make you a leader.”

According to him, “what makes a leader a leader is his ability to communicate, understand the problems of his people and his efforts to solve these problems. That is what makes you a leader. In any position of leadership I find myself, I will do my best to help my people.”

Donatus Ebi