Stakeholders Alert On N’Delta Environment …Want FG To Clean Up Polluted Sites

Stakeholders in the Niger Delta have said that the region faces imminent extinction, if the Federal Government continues to foot-drag on the clean-up of polluted sites in the region.
The stakeholders made up of Professor Henry Ugboma, Chief Medical Director of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) and others urged the government to expedite action on the clean-up of Ogoniland and other polluted sites in the Niger Delta.
They spoke at the public presentation of the book, “The Niger Delta Paradox” written by Rev. Father John K. Wangbu in Port Harcourt.
While they regreted that no much attention is being paid to the Ogoni cleanup exercise, the stakeholders condemned the continued flaring of gas by oil companies.
Ugboma, on his part, said that more attention should be paid to clean-up of polluted sites with a view to saving the region from extinction.
The UPTH CMD particularly said that, recent studies carried out by the institution had shown that most abnormal deformities noticed in children from Ogoni and other parts of the Niger Delta,were caused by oil pollution.
He said this situation should serve as a wake up call to the authorities to do something urgently to save the region from being destroyed.
Also speaking, Professor Nelson Brambaifa decried the absence of gas re-injection system in the country.
“The problem is that gas flaring is still on in the region despite several efforts made to stop it”.
The university don, said that apart from the impoverishment of the people for long, the environment has been devasted daily.
He also regretted that the region is being ravaged by flooding.
“Another challenge now is flooding of the region as water from the Cameroon is finding its way to the Bright of Bonny.
Reviewing the book, Professor Vincent Asuru of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, said the environmental degradation of the Niger Delta required serious commitment by the authorities to solve it.
Professor Asuru said that the book should serve as a wake up call by intellectuals in the region to help the authorities with findings for a permanent solution to environmental degradations in the region.