FG’s effort to clean up Ogoni will fail, unless.....

THE House of Representatives, yesterday, hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for his approval to fast track the long delayed implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, in sanitising the environment of Ogoni land in Rivers State.

Similarly, the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside and Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, have commended President Buhari for his courage in initiating the process of implementing the UNEP report on the restoration of the devastated Ogoni environment. However, Amnesty International, has warned that the attempt by the Federal Government to clean up oil spills in Niger Delta will fail unless Shell Petroleum Development Company, improves its mechanism and show increased commitment in tackling the issue.

This came as SPDC, yesterday, said it had suspended gas supply to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, with the declaration of a force majeure on gas supplies to LNG, export terminal on Bonny Island in Rivers State due to a pipeline leak. At the plenary of the House of Representatives and speaking on the floor of the House, Mr  Kingsley Chinda, (PDP, Rivers State), noted that the environmental degradation of Ogoni land due to the exploitation and exploration of crude oil has brought untold hardship to the people.

He said that the implementation  of the UNEP report should be done on the grounds that the constitution of Nigeria (S. 20), which states that, “The state shall protect and improve the environment and safeguard the water, air and land, forest and wild life of Nigeria” of which the Niger Delta is inclusive.

Chinda  also expressed worry that the Hydro Carbons Pollution Restoration Project ,HYPREP, was placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, which he described as a major polluter of the area. “The Ogoni people and indeed the entire Niger Delta continue to drink contaminated water and sea food is being scourged from the polluted water and the people of the community  still process their foods in crude coated creeks.”

In the motion also sponsored by 58 others, Chinda urged the House to fully cooperate with President Buhari who has approved $2 billion in the implementation of the UNEP report. He said, “We are indeed talking about the entire world not just Nigeria only. I urge this House to support the motion, so tha
t Nigeria will join the comity of nations which is pro active to environmental hazards.”

Source:Vanguard