‘Soot Affecting Investments, Tourism In Rivers’

The Coordinator of the Rivers State Sanitation Marshall Volunteers, Prince Sodin Akiagba has said that the prevalence of soot in the air in Rivers State has affected investments and tourism.
Speaking in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, Akiagba said the soot has serious health implications on humans and the ecosystem, noting that no tourist would want to visit a place where its air is saturated with impurities.
He said the situation has underscored the need for the people to join the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike in the ongoing war against illegal oil bunkering.
“Sanitation Marshall Volunteers applaud Governor Wike over the war on the soot because soot has serious health and environmental implications on humans and the ecosystem,” he said.
Akiagba also said artisanal refineries springing up in the state do not conform with global best practices as far as the refining of petroleum products was concerned.
According to him, the activities of illegal refining operators was having serious consequences on the environment, noting that water bodies were being contaminated while rich nutrients in the soil were seriously being destroyed.
“It does not allow for conducive environment for investors and tourists who want to come and do business in Rivers State, and for leisure because of impurities and contamination of the air we breathe”.
He said the Federal Government must also rise up to the challenge of providing employment opportunities for the teeming jobless youths of the Niger Delta.
“Economically, since most of the perpetrators may be jobless, the Federal Government should come up with policies and programmes that will ensure a means of livelihood for the youths,” he said.
He called for the construction of modular refineries, while private investors should also engage the youths in refining and marketing of petroleum products to bridge the unemployment gap in the state.
The Sanitation Marshall Volunteers’coordinator also called on the Federal Government to embark on the repair of existing refineries with a view to making the products available to the people, adding that this was necessary as the small and medium enterprise (SMEs) sector depends on public power supply and generators to operate their equipment.
Akiagba said the volunteers whoare made up of the youths in the 23 LGAs would complement the efforts of both the state and LGs to sensitise the people on the dangers of illegal oil bunkering on the people and the environment.

By: John Bibor