The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Women Affairs, Barrister Uche, Uriri says women are more vulnerable to sicknesses than other segment of the society in a kpo fire environment.
Uriri, who said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt also dismissed as baseless the assertion that unemployment is responsible for the large number of youth involvement in illegal oil bunkering.
“ We know that Kpor fire has its own health challenges. The women are far more vulnerable.’’
“Look at the water contamination, if a pregnant women drinks that, think of the multiplier effect of health challenges to come with’’.
“What of the new born that is born, he or she inhales the bad air or the black soot, think of the effect on the child.
The women that just put to bed her body is still very free, think of the challenges.
“What of the breast milk she is going to produce, is it not already poisoned?
“You can see that Kporfire business is poisonous to every person. On the number of women suffering from the effect of the illegal oil bunkering, the permanent said as an environmental issue, thousands of women are suffering from the effect of the Kporfire everyday.
She commended the Rivers Network of NGOs for its decision to carry the sensitisation campaign to schools in the State.
“Oh yes, that is the number one, right from the cradles catch them young they the early birth.
“Teach them to know that burning of materials is not good.
So you will see the children grow up knowing this is evil and then is like changing of batons from nursery to primary to secondary and then to university the Knowledge going there.
Knowledge is very key if we inculcate the knowledge into populace right from the cradle, they will see the evil in practicising Kpofire.
“So we need to teach them the correct things to do and the danger in it’’ the permanent secretary said.

By: John Bobor & Oribim Ibama