Environment
Pollution:Bonny Communities, Group Lament Illegal Bunkering
Communities behind the
Oloma flow station in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State and the Organisation of Fishermen Seafood Dealers and Farmers in Niger Delta (OFSDF/ND) have blamed the absence of pipeline surveillance contractors for high spate of bunkering activities in the area.
Disclosing this, chairman Board of Trustee of OFSDF/ND, Mr Richard Abbey, said massive bunkering activities in the area have caused monumental damage to the environment and fishing activities.
Abbey challenged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to make public the pipeline surveillance contractors in charge of the NNPC Oloma flow station axis saying, it is evident that the ones contracted within the area has reneged or does not exist.
He said, “if the government has contracted anyone within the Oloma axis to safeguard NNPC pipelines, it then means some persons are defrauding the people of millions of naira meant for guarding pipeline within Oloma and other Bonny communities”.
Lamenting that some persons collect money on monthly basis in the name of surveillance, the OFSDF/ND boss regretted that pipeline vandals were taking undue advantage of the negligence to perpetrate vandalisation and illegal bunkering activities.
Abbey advised NNPC to help end the sabotage by contracting the surveillance job to fishermen and community members living within the flow station to form a more formidable security team to tackle the menace.
Similarly, resident Chief of Otokomabiri fishing community, Chief Lucky Williams, said his people were ready to partner with security agencies in providing needed information.
“We are ready to provide manpower to help fight this scorge if NNPC wants us to assist”, he said, stressing that it was unfortunate that contractors were paid heavily to safeguard the pipelines but they never showed up at site.
A soil expert, Jeremiah Alaputa, said the spill in the area have negatively affected vegetation and that it would take about twenty years to restore lost vegetation.
The expert cautioned that NNPC should ensure regular patrol within the flow station and Okolo lodge to stall bunkering and attendant fire break out.
In a related development, as part of measures to scale-up its war on pipeline vandalisation and bunkering, the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) has established community cells to enlist support of host commuities.
Acting state Commandant of NSCDC, Christina Abiakam-Omanu made the disclosure in a chat with pressmen in Port Harcourt recently shortly after a meeting with Association of Licensed Security Practitioners of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter.
Abiakam-Omanu said the measure has become necessary because security agencies cannot alone win the war in checking pipeline vandalism, which according to her was having a big toll on the country’s economy.
“ We have been having meetings with community leaders and in some places we have established cell units. The essence is to ensure that communities that paly host to oil installations support us in the fight to check vandalisation” she said.
The Rivers State Civil Defence Commandant revealed that since a month ago when she assumed office, she has beefed-up efort to check bunkering in some parts of the state.
Addressing members of licensed security practioners earlier, she stressed the need of synergy in boosting security at the grassroots, especially as the yuletide approaches.
The Civil Defence helmswoman in Rivers State observed that private security guards have a very important role to play in boosting the nation’s security status, “ if there is any clue that can help us please let us know” she charged them.
She also charged them to rid themselves of quacks, warning that the NSCDC will invoke it powers to seal-off security companies not licensed or trained by them.
The Civil Defence Commandant advised owners of security firms to always take the welfare of their employees seriously, “ there must be a good working relationship for the Directors and the guards” maintaining that it is crucial for effective security operations.
Chris Oluoh
Some stakeholders in Okoroagu community in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers state have blamed the perennial erosion in the community on the poor conditions of their road.
They are therefore calling for the rehabilitation of their road.
They said this in an interview with The Tide, at okoroagu.Speaking to The Tide,the Ochimba of Okoroagu community, Eze Marcus Amadi said the poor conditions of their road has retarded the growth and development of the community.
According to Eze Amadi,”The government has neglected us, they have forgotten about us, we have been writing letters to the government, both to the NDDC to come and repair our road for us, we are on our knees pleading to them to come help us out, at least they should just dredge the road for us”
Continuing he said”If the government comes today to repair our road, nobody will say they shouldn’t.
“Nobody will obstruct them. We have been shouting and crying that our road is not good, the road is affecting the community economically and socially in the sense that, there is no way we can carry our crops out because of erosion.
“Erosion have taken over the road, making it difficult for us to access other communities especially during rainfall you see people falling down and getting injured inside the river which we call Mmiri Ehe in our language, which reaches our waist line during raining season. Our people can not go to other market to sell their products due to the bad road”he saidAlso speaking,Chairman Community Development Committee( CDC )Okoroagu , Hon. Elvis Nwaobasi decried the situation of the road, stressing that economic activities are being affected as movement of goods and services have gradually slowed down in the area.
” The road have affected our women so badly, they are no longer going to the other neighboring markets to sell their Agric produce because of the nature of the road.
“This road has also affected us in many ways, it has affected our educational system, security system, it has also affected our health system, because with the nature of that road, people cannot access our health facilities in the community, with the nature of that road, people cannot access our school, with nature of the road, people cannot come in and do business in our community, we cannot access the road because of the neglect of the road.
“People are using our road for excuses to come in and invest and do businesses. People who come to our market to buy our products are no longer coming because of the nature of the road.” I am pleading with the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayig Fubara to please come to the aid of Okoroagu and repair our road. I am pleading with the Rivers State House of Assembly, we are suffering too much because of this road. We have been neglected and abandoned for years, the government should please come to our aid” he said.Also the women leader of Okoroagu community, Mrs. Anthonia Nweke blamed some politicians from the area for abandoning the people of Okoroagu
“Our road has been abandoned, overlooked, with no attention, mostly the higher politicians of the place, we have been abandoned for years”
In furtherance to the commitment of the Federal Government through the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation (HYPREP) to the full implementation of the recommendations of the UN Environment Programme Report on Ogoni Environment, the Project has commenced processes to designating Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site.
Labaran Ahmed, National Focal Point for Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Environment, who is leading the process for collection of field samples, said the move will converse biodiversity, enhance livelihood, attract ecotourism and further earn global recognition for Ogoni Wetlands.The UNEP Report envisages that this would provide the Government with a roadmap for restoration and sustainable management of the Ogoni wetland, bring the site unto international among others.Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, represented by Director Technical Services, Professor Damien-Paul Aguiyi said the project further attests to the Federal government’s commitment through HYPREP to implementing the UNEP Report simultaneously.Nigeria is a signatory to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction(BBNJ) Agreement for how research on marine genetic resources must be conducted and documented, ensuring transparency and the equitable distribution of benefits.
Environment
Tribunal Acknowledges losses in Rare species Across the globe …urges for government Action
It was noted that the choice by the Brazilian government to host COP30 serves as a symbol of the importance of the Amazon. They denounced the current and future impacts of the expansion of the extractivist frontier, deforestation, fossil fuels and large-scale mining. It was urged that the Amazon, with its ecosystems, animal, plant species, and rich biodiversity, natural medicines and its vital and reproductive cycles, should be considered as a subject of rights together with the Indigenous Peoples, and other communities that inhabit it.
The co-president and judge of the tribunal, Nnimmo Bassey, while delivering the verdict, noted that the defence of the rights of Nature is the right way to carry out real climate action and that there is no climate justice without the rights of Nature.
The tribunal stressed the need to phase out fossil fuels and quickly move to renewable energy as a way that protects both communities and ecosystems from false solutions that merely benefit financial speculators and compound climate injustices. The Tribunal also urged the United Nations to adopt the pledge as a blueprint for international environmental law.
A copy of the declaration obtained by The Tide revealed that,Judges at the Tribunal included Ana Alfinito of Brazil, Nnimmo Bassey ( Nigeria), Enrique Viale (Argentina), Shannon Biggs (USA), Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation, USA), Tom Goldtooth (USA), Princes Esmeralda (Belgium), Cormac Cullinan (South Africa), Patricia Gualings (Ecuador), Francesco Martone (Italy) Tzeporah Berman (USA), Ashish Katharine (India), Osprey Orielle Lake (USA), Pooven Moodley (South Africa) and Felicio Pontes (Brazil)
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