Engennis Call For Environmental Remediation

The people of Engenni kingdom in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State have called for an environmental remediation of the kingdom.
This was part of the resolutions at the end for a one day Engenni Economic Development Summit held recently at Akinimu, the Ahoada West Local Government council headquarters.
The summit also lamented the perennial flooding of the kingdom, which sometime last for over six months.
Chairman of Engenni Eminent Persons Group, Elder Harvey Warman said the area had continued to bear the negative indices of oil production.
According to him, the continuous pollution of the kingdom and the occasional acid rain is leading to a reduction in the lifespan of the people.
“Historically, the main stay of our people is farming, albeit subsistence in nature and fishing since the discovery of oil in the 1950’s, we have continued to bear all the negative indices of oil production, viz pollution in a large scale acid rain, leading to reduction in the lifespan of our people.”
He complained that the situation is affecting agricultural produce and fisheries without a commensurate growth in the living standard of the people.
Elder Warman said Engenni which is the Wetland zone of the Niger Delta has continued to experience a debilitating perennial flooding for nearly six months of every year.
“The effect of this flood in addition to the environmental hazards occasioned by the oil exploration activities in the area make the Ogoni crises a child’s play.
“There is therefore need to develop a blue print at the end of the summit for the transformation of the five clans of the kingdom” he said.
The elder statesman said the summit will fashion out ways of redressing the gross insensitivity of the multinational companies operating in Engenni in responding to the peculiar developmental challenges of the people, especially the dire absence of the basic infrastructures as against the corporate social responsibilities in other climates, and the effects of the perennial flooding in the socio-economic life of our people.
“This summit is about investing in peoples, infrastructures and innovation in creative ways to prepare all sons and daughters to compete in the 21st century global economy,” he said.

By: John Bibor, Chioma Peters & Amina Ngoma