ENVIRONMENTAL activist and Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, has chided the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd for destroying a vessel allegedly laden with 800,000 litres of stolen crude in Nigerian waters.
Bassey, while describing the act as economic waste and assault to ecology, regretted that personnel of the Nigerian military are ignorant of the ongoing climate crisis the world is faced with.
NNPC Ltd recently said it intercepted a vessel, MT Tura II, ferrying 800,000-litres of substance suspected to be stolen crude offshore.
The Nigerian government owned oil company equally claimed that the vessel was heading for Cameroon at the time of the arrest.
It was said that the company subsequently set the ship ablaze, to serve as a deterrent to other oil thieves.
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Speaking on the development, the Activist said Nigerian security agencies need to be educated on climate crises and how destroying petroleum products affects the environment; stressing that, it is tantamount to ecological assault.
“The drama that unfolded with regard to the seized and bombed vessel is extremely disturbing. Destroying a vessel loaded with 800,000 barrels of crude oil should be taken as a new low in the demonstration of wastefulness on the part of those who should be watching over the nation’s resources.
“The entire episode requires urgent investigation. Why would anyone blow up a vessel and dump 800,000 barrels of oil into the environment? If that volume of crude is correct, this must be one of the largest volumes of crude oil spilled in one incident.
“Our security men are often seen protecting pollution such as gas flares and rotten pipelines and stripping communities of their dignity. In this incident they have demonstrated utter disregard to our constitutional right to a safe environment.
“One drop of crude oil contaminates 25 litres of water. Imagine what 800,000 barrels of crude oil would do. It means destruction of fisheries and of livelihoods. It also means directly poisoning our people. It is shocking and unacceptable.