The Rivers State Government has called for citizens’ and security agencies’ collaboration to end activities of illegal refiners of crude oil, popularly known as ‘Kpofire’, which has caused incessant fire outbreaks and environmental pollution in the state.
Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim made the call during the presentation of prizes to winners of the ministry’s #OurStateOurResponsibility Theme Song competition in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
Nsirim also called on the media to engage in aggressive public enlightenment campaign against ‘Kpofire’ activities in Rivers State.
He expressed concern that the activities of illegal refiners of crude oil have caused incessant fire outbreaks and pollution of the atmosphere through the emission of soot.
“Hardly any day passes that you will not get reports of incidents of fire outbreak, and investigations have revealed that most of these fire incidents are as a result of stockpiling of adulterated petroleum products.
“Government cannot stop this trend without the cooperation of the citizens and the law enforcement agencies. We are appealing that we need to do something, that as we enter into the New Year, let us have a collective resolve as a people to ensure that our environment is not polluted anymore.
“It should concern everyone. Apart from the fire hazards that we are experiencing, the health implication of what we are seeing in Port Harcourt today is something that should worry anyone living and doing business here in Rivers State,” he said.
Nsirim condemned the activities of some security personnel who collect gratification from operators of the illegal petroleum products businesses and allow them free passage on the roads.
“We cannot be our own enemies. We must collectively fight this syndrome. The hazard we are facing is becoming worrisome. If you live and do business here in Rivers State, this ‘Kpofire’ syndrome should concern you, and I think the time has come for us to put an end to this menace,” he said.
He emphasised that the idea behind the second phase of the #OurStateOurResponsibility advocacy campaign was to mobilise a cross spectrum of Rivers society to be part of the NEW Rivers Vision.
He noted that governance cannot be complete if citizens do not play active role in the development process, hence the advocacy campaign.
“It is a vision that will engineer our collective understanding that Rivers State belongs to all of us, whether you are an indigene or not, as long as you live and do business here, Rivers State belongs to you,” he said.
He said the theme song competition awards ceremony coming after the essay competition was a milestone in the quest to strengthen citizens’ participation in governance in Rivers State.
Nsirim congratulated the three persons that emerged first, second and third position winners of the competition, and announced the first position winner, Mr. Barnabas Baridam, as the ambassador of the ministry and the face of #OurStateOurResponsibility campaign.
The commissioner also commended the three-man panel of judges who rendered a diligent service without asking for professional fees.
He said criteria for the theme song include originality and simplicity of content, strong credibility, and appeal to all segments of the society.
Nsirim expressed optimism that the competition would be a starting point for the blossoming career in music for the winners, and charged them to see the opportunity as a foundation for something bigger and greater in years ahead.
Chairman of the panel of judges, Mr Lexy Maol, said the panel was careful in selecting the winners out of the several entries.
According to him, some of the other criteria considered were nature of the song, the connection, the lyric, and the careful fusion of #OurStateOurResponsibility.
In his remarks, the first position winner, Mr. Barnabas Baridam, thanked the commissioner for floating the programme that gave him the platform to showcase his talent.
He promised to represent the ministry and the government positively as its ambassador.
The first runner up is Indiana Tonye, while the third runner up is Prince Innocent Ikinga.
Cash prizes of N300,000, N150,000, and N100,000, were given to the first, second and third position winners, respectively.

By: John Bibor & Oribim Ibama