‘FG has neglected N’Delta pollution’

CIVIL society organisations in the Niger Delta have accused the Federal Government of alleged indifference to the pollution of the environment by international oil companies operating in the region.

The groups said this in Port Harcourt on Saturday at a one-day sensitisation workshop with the theme ‘Diminished Ecosystem, Diminished Production and Optimal Consumption in the Niger Delta’, organised by the National Coalition on Gas Flaring and Oil Spills in the Niger Delta to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day.

The Country Director of one of the civil society organisations, the Stakeholders Democracy Network, Mr. Inemo Samiama, faulted the Federal Government’s poor attitude towards current environmental challenges in the Niger Delta.

Samiama pointed out that while the Nigerian government remained happy to take the oil and gas and the revenues accruing from oil production and exploration, the government did not bother about the environmental challenges facing the people of the area.

He said, “The Nigerian government is quite happy to take the oil and gas, take the revenues from the oil production, but they really don’t care about the environmental challenges that come with this oil and gas activities.

“They have not done much to clean up and remediate the Niger Delta environment. For example, implement the recommendation of the UNEP Report; they have not done much to even carry out researches on the impacts of these activities on the people of the Niger Delta.

“That in itself is shocking and just shows that the Federal Government does not care as long as the oil is flowing in the Niger Delta region.”

The National Coordinator of NACGOND, Rev Fr. Edward Obi, had earlier called on the Federal Government to take the issue of environmental management seriously in order to avoid disaster in future.

“Several parts of Nigeria have the problem, but the reason why the Niger Delta stands out is because for over 50 years there has been relentless pollution of the environment on account of oil companies’ activities,” he said.