Rivers Panel Partners Army To Mitigate Soot

The Chairman of Rivers State Technical Committee on the Implementation of Soot Report, Prof. Roseline Konya has said that strategic collaboration with relevant stakeholders, multinational oil companies and security agencies was key in the fight against soot in the state.
Konya stated this when she led members of the committee on a visit to the General Officer Commanding 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen Felix Oguguo in his office in Port Harcourt as part of the committee’s plan to strengthen the working relationship with the Nigerian Army as a veritable means to end oil theft and illegal refining in the state.
The former state commissioner for environment, who highlighted the 12 sources of soot outlined in the report, explained that the current increase of prostate cancer among men as well as cervical cancer in the women in the state was mostly caused by soot particles due to the saturation of the atmosphere by the chemical particulates.
She noted that the inclusion of security agencies, the international oil companies (IOCs) and the civil society groups on the committee by Governor Nyesom Wike during the inauguration was a deliberate attempt by the present administration to end the menace of black soot, and commended the GOC and his officers for their great efforts so far.
In his response, the GOC, 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Genl Felix Oguguo thanked the Chairman of the committee, Prof Roseline Konya and members for the visit, and their efforts to reduce the menace of soot in the state compared to the past.
Oguguo assured the people in state that they would intensify the fight against crime and oil theft until those involved stop the wicked act.
The GOC used the opportunity to take members of the committee round some seized trucks and cars used for oil theft in various parts of the state.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana