Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has expressed concern over looming hunger in oil producing communities in the Niger Delta.
He also raised an alarm that security and military approach to combat crude oil theft, illegal oil bunkering and illegal refining, which often culminate in burning of local boats loaded with petroleum products and the littering of the waterways with the products, has proved to be ineffective and obsolete in preventing the illicit oil activities.
National Coordinator of the NGO, Sheriff Mulade, who recently embarked on environmental tour around some communities in the Delta creeks, lamented that the pollution in the environment has worsened and called on the Federal Government to commence environmental remediation.
He noted the serious damage done to the environment, saying that “better intellectual approach, orientation and integration were needed”.
According to him, fish and other sea foods were being transported from Northern and Middle Belt areas of Nigeria to Ijaw riverine communities’ Local Government Areas of Burutu, Bomadi, Warri and environs in Delta State and some communities in Bayelsa State.
He claimed that hunger was looming as the people who were known for having a decent source of livelihood from fishing have lost their enjoyed life-sustaining occupation due to environmental degradation as result of oil exploration and over exposure of the aquatic life to poisonous petrochemical substances introduced into the waterways.
He further said that, “The approach used by the Federal Government to fight against pipeline vandalism, local and illegal refining of petroleum products, which is military destruction of illegal refineries and burning of boats loaded with illicitly acquired crude oil coupled with oil firm neglect of the environment, has resulted in some of the Niger Delta environmental woes and total destruction of aquatic lives, agriculture and trade”.
He insisted that the government and oil communities must plan for a massive environmental remediation and also adopt bioremediation to clean up the oil spills, adding that Niger Delta remained deprived as they were not beneficiaries of the oil proceeds while they bore the resulting health hazards, pollution and environmental degradations.