Stakeholders Decry Illegal Bunkering

The continuous devasta
tion of the environment and the loss of lives as a result of illegal oil bunkering is  attracting the reactions of the general public.
A crosssection of the people who spoke to The Tide on the issue, cited the recent explosion at the Okrika Jetty as a result of illegal oil bunkering which led to the loss of several lives.
They said that it is high time the government do something to check the menace stressing that apart from the continuous lost of lives, the Niger Delta environment  is completely destroyed.
An indigene of Bolo community  in the Ogu / Bolo local government area who spoke under condition of anonymity described as an eyesom the sight of Bolo Water Front.
He said that all the mangrove at the Bolo waterfront have been destroyed as a result of illegal oil bunkering in the area, while the Bolo sea is now empty of aquatic lives.
According to him, this situation has brought untold hardship to the fishermen of Bolo community whose sources of livelihood have been affected.
Another respondent, who also spoke under condition of anonymity described as very enormous the environmental damages being caused by illegal oil bunkering. The respondent who hails from one of the communities of Gokana local Government Area claimed that the creeks and rivers running from Bomu, Bodo to Bolo is new completely empty of aquatic lives.
A staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC), Engr. Kenneth George, who spoke on the issue, said that illegal oil bunkering is detrimental to Nigeria in a variety of ways. “Most visibly are the almost daily oil spills that occurred at every stage of the bunkering process.
“Meanwhile, these thieves are not held or required to perform remediation “careless handling of products  during the bunkering process caused the gravest environmental damages to the Niger Delta. “vast areas of the region have become saturated with oil as a result of the many oil spills associated with illegal bunkering and pipeline sabotage,” he said. Also speaking, Mrs Amapakabo Ibibia, described the continuous distruction of the environment in her own word, “oil theft is not a new thing in Nigeria.
Although stolen crude oil is profitable for quick sales in local market . “Some youths have died in the process,” she said.

Erosion at Tasha 2, Gwagwa Karmo Road in Abuja recently.

Benice Iragunim