Port Harcourt- Nigeria,
Environmental stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have called on the various elected representatives across the region in both the executive and legislative arm the of government to be accountable on promises made for their promises made in terms of tackling the socio-ecological challenges of the region, when they are sworn into office by May 29.
They made the call during the meeting of Stakeholders 2nd Alternative Convergence in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.
The various stakeholders also called on the Federal Government to look into the region’s environmental condition and do something to secure the lives of residents.
Dr. Nnimo Bassey, Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), stated that 90 percent of the population in the Gulf of Guinea emanated from the crime of the industries operating in the Niger Delta, as well as pollution from the neighboring countries very close to the national borders.
“We are concerned that we have to do all we can do in securing our environment and to ensure that it is livable,” Bassey said.
“We, the Niger Delta people, collectively noted and appealed that the Federal Government should have an immediate comprehensive audit of the entire Niger Delta region on the environment, livelihood, health, social and economic impacts of crude oil and gas extraction.
“Remediation of impacted places, restoration of human and ecological damages caused by extraction activities, and reparations for the irreversible damages endured by the people for the last 64 years,” he said.
Bassey urged the Federal Government to produce a framework and guide for how oil companies disengage from areas where they have operated.
The environmentalist also stressed the need for government to draw clear policies on divestment to enable the people to know their expectations from the community and investors.
He urged the government to draw a comprehensive resolution of the artisanal refinery by addressing the issues that led to it, and providing a workable solution, insisting that all oil theft must stop.
Bassey also called on legislators to review the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA), remove all the clues against the communities, and immediately publicly release the forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the review of the law binding that agency.
In his address, Chief Suanu Baridam, the Chairman of the occasion, blamed the representatives of the Niger Delta people in government positions for non-active performance on the environmental challenges facing the region.
Baridam also faulted the government for insincerity in the clean-up of Ogoniland and other parts of the Niger Delta region, saying that government should assess the sincerity of the agencies handling the project before certifying their work.
Similarly, Mr. Ken Robinson, the spokesperson of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), expressed displeasure over the alleged non-inclusion of flooding in the 2023 budget of states and federal government.
Robinson said that the 2023 flooding prediction as announced by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) would be severe.
He urged government agencies in charge of disaster management like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to be on alert and make proper planning to cushion the effects on the coastal communities, saying that the flood damages may be repaired, not avoided due to its coastal nature.
