Oil & Energy
NES Decries Impacts Of Gas Flaring On Eonomy
The Nigerian Environmental Society, (NES), Rivers State Chapter, has decried the negative impact of gas flaring on the nation’s economic growth.
State Chairman, NES, Dr Kingsley Nwogbidi, in an interview with The Tide, in Port Harcourt, yesterday, observed that the processes of extracting crude from the soil required some form of combustion that needed some gas to be flared.
According to him, much of this gas could be put to alternative uses such as to generate electricity, for cooking and other ventures that required energy uses.
He noted that 90 per cent of gases produced in the oil sector was flared, which he explained could have been put to good use to increase the revenue base of the country.
“Unfortunately in Nigeria, we’ve not been able to develop to the point where we would make maximum use of the gas, rather, it has become a problem to us, 90 per cent of the processes in the oil industry give rise to gas flaring which impact negatively on the environment and the people.
“Its attendant consequences include rusting of corrugated iron roofing sheets, acid rain, which affects crops and buildings, acidic soil, which also impacts agricultural yields, and loss of revenue in terms of reduced Gross Domestic Produce (GDP)”.
On his part, the Vice Chairman, NES, Mr. Daminabo Atuboyebia, called on the Federal Government to muster the political will to mandate oil multinationals operating in the country to end gas flaring, noting that gas flaring mostly affects the Niger Delta people due to the numerous elements into the atmosphere.
According to him, we in NES, we want to join our voices with other Nigerians to say that these things should be implemented like the gas flaring Act and other things. We’re saying it should be implemented not by telling Nigerians that it would be implemented by so so and so so time, but it should be implemented with immediate effect. We all know that if we follow these laws immediately, this gas flaring will end, they should end it and channel the flared gas to cooking gas so that we will make more money for the country”.
He urged manufacturers to seek better ways of generating energy for their production, observing that the traditional use of fossil fuel was generating so much heat, which according to him, further impacts negatively on productivity.
By: Tonye Nria-Dappa