The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Environmentalist

  • Environmentalist warns of looming hunger in Niger Delta

    A non-governmental organisation, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), has raised concern about looming hunger in oil impacted communities in Niger Delta.

    National coordinator Sheriff Mulade, who toured communities of Delta creeks, lamented that the pollution had got worse, and urged the Federal Government to begin environmental remediation.

    He noted that the military’s approach to combating crude theft and illegal refining by burning local boats with petroleum products and littering the waterways with them, were  ineffective and obsolete in preventing the illicit activities, despite serious damage done to the environment.

    Mulade advised that “a better intellectual approach, reorientation and integration are needed”.

    He warned that hunger was looming as the people known for having a decent source of livelihood from fishing had lost their sustaining occupations due to environmental degradation, resulting from oil exploration and over exposure of the aquatic life to poisonous petrochemical substances introduced into the waterways.

    “The approach used by the Federal Government to fight against pipeline vandalism, local and illegal refining of petroleum products, which is military destruction of illegal refineries and burning of boats loaded with illicit crude oil, coupled with oil firms’ neglect of the environment, have resulted in some of Niger Delta’s environmental woes and and destruction of aquatic lives, agriculture and trade”, he lamented.

    Read also: Buhari’s ex-ally campaigns for Atiku in Niger Delta 

    He insisted the government and oil communities must plan for a massive environmental remediation and adopt bio-remediation to clean up the oil spills, adding that Niger Delta remained deprived as they were not beneficiaries of the oil proceeds.

    “The reference point for Nigeria’s economic pride is the neglected Niger Delta that has made Nigeria to earn as much as N 7.93 trillion ( $26 billion) from oil export within six months, and Nigeria has been able to rank among the six largest revenue earner-countries in the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

    ‘’It is painful that the area that feeds the nation is left to suffer and die in the polluted and ruined environment and without a means of creating jobs for themselves”, he said.

    He called on the Federal Government and the multinational oil companies to synergise and remediate the environment and adopt environmental best practices of safe oil activities, adding that the government must act fast to stop any introduction of petrochemical substances in the waters.

  • Environmentalist worried over pasting of posters

    An environmentalist, Mr.  Lawal Rasheed, has expressed worry over the indiscriminate pasting of political campaign materials in Lagos.

    He said it was worsening the city’s environmental woes.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that posters of aspirants jostling for political positions have flooded Lagos in recent months, defacing and compounding the dirtiness of the city.

    Rasheed said yesterday in Lagos that indiscriminate pasting of posters could worsen climatic change.

    The environmentalist, who is also co-chair of the Advocate for Clean Climate group, said it was wrong for posters to be pasted indiscriminately in a city that was already struggling with hygiene.

    “With these campaign posters, we are defacing the mega city we are trying to build and adding more pressure on the already over-burdened waste managers.

    “Over the years, people who paste posters are never concerned about where it is right or wrong to paste the materials.

    “Political agents indiscriminately paste posters on public infrastructure, private buildings, parks and gardens, culverts, road demarcations, lamp posts, traffic lights, bridges and even ornamental trees.”

    He advocated the adoption of ‘Greenvertizing’, an approach to advert campaigns that is environmentally-friendly.

    “Without dwelling too much on the problems, there are sustainable ways of placing ads and posters for campaigns.

    “More focus should be placed on electronic media, social media and newspapers that recycle their old papers.

    “In the western world, they have started a campaign called ‘Greenvertizing’, which is placing emphasis that adverting agencies should adopt sustainable methods.

    “Although an average politician may say real voters are not privy to the aforementioned publicity media, other forms of adverts, such as radio jingles and banners made of cottons can be adopted.”

    Rasheed called for collaboration with the Lagos State Signages and Advertising Agency (LASAA) and waste managers to tackle the defacement.

    “There must be collaboration between the signage agency and waste managers to identify illegally-pasted campaign posters and ensure removal and disposal.

    “LASAA should not let this election season be a repetition of past woes. They should apportion spots to advertising agencies and sensitise them on orderly placement of posters.

    “Laws should be passed to criminalise the illegal pasting of bills and further legislation to empower the signage agency to prosecute offenders,” he added.

  • Oil Spill: Environmentalist seeks help for impacted community

    An Environmentalist, Mr Alagoa Morris, has written a protest letter to vernor Seriake Dickson, deploring the poor response to oil pollution incidents in Bayelsa.

    The environmental rights activist, in the letter availed to newsmen on Sunday, lamented the state government’s silence on the lingering oil spillage incident at Yiba-Ama community in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

    Morris, also the project officer and head of Environmental Rights Action Niger Delta Resource Centre, regretted that proceeds from oil derivation accruing to the state were not being channelled to conservation.

    The letter, dated May 31 and titled, “A Case of Gross Negligence, Brazen Act of Corporate Social Irresponsibility (CSI) and Environmental Terrorism Against Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)”.

    The letter was routed through the office of the Commissioner for Environment to gov .Dickson.

    It was also copied to the Speaker of the House of Assembly and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the state.

    The oil spill occurred in June 2015 from SPDC’s 20-inch Rumuekpe-Kolo Creek Trunkline at Odau community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers, and flowed to Yiba-Ama, a border community in Bayelsa.

    Morris said that ERA/FoEN had visited the impacted sites six times where swamps, ponds and the general environment of the community had been destroyed.

    According to him, SPDC had been allegedly foot-dragging to commence clean-up of the area for the past two years despite public outcry.

    “The owner of the oil facility, SPDC, has continued to shirk from its responsibility to effect containment, clean-up and remediation of the impacted sites.

    “Shell has done nothing, practically nothing whatsoever, about this nagging issue which has serious implications on the well- being of the environment, health and livelihood of the people of Yiba-Ama community and, by extension, Bayelsa State.”

  • Treat nature like a mother, says environmentalist

    President of the Lekki Urban Forest Animal Sanctuary (LUFASI) Desmond Majekodunmi has charged Nigerians to treat nature as a mother to reverse the effects of climate change.

    He lamented the “continuous upsetting of the balance of nature” can’t support life on the planet earth.

    He warned the natural environment was facing an impending catastrophe owing to the impacts of degradation.

    Majekodunmi spoke at the weekend during activities marking the 2017 World Environment Day.

    He said unless people “treat and respect nature the way individuals treat their mothers,” the danger would become irreversible.

    The environmentalist pointed out benefits of technology was numerous with advancements making life more meaningful.

    He however said: “Over carbonising the atmosphere can’t support life. We have to treat the Mother Nature like a mother.

    “Mother Nature supplies us with oxygen and all good things free of charge but with humans upsetting the balance of nature with their activities, the world is now experiencing the effects of climate change.”

    He added that no human can claim not to have benefited anything from the tender care of a mother but “the mother nature does much more because the creator uses it to sustain life.”

    He emphasised the needs to reduce the carbon foot prints.

    The theme for the year is Connect with Nature with LUFASI marking the commemoration with a debate on Climate Change for secondary school pupils in Lagos.

    Pupils of Refiner’s College, Lekki, who opposed the motion: we can reverse climate change before it permanently destroys our natural environment won the debate.

    They squared up with their counterparts from Greenspring School who supported the motion.

    Other schools who participated in the event were the Redington School and Albesta College.

     

  • Environmentalist urges Delta to tackle flood

    The National Secretary, Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), Mr. Paul Akporowho, has urged Delta State government to control flood in Warri and its environs.

    He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Warri the government needed to have a good master plan that would enable it control flood.

    The NES secretary said the drainage in Warri was in a deplorable state because the government failed to tackle flood.

    He advocated a law that would punish persons caught dropping refuse in drains.

    According to him, dumping of refuse contributes to blockage, thereby causing flood.

    Akporowho said water could not flow whenever it rained, as the drains had been blocked.

    He urged the government to involve private sector in the management of drainages.

    The secretary noted that most of the drains in Warri, including Walter Odili, Okere, Igbudu Okorodu, Enerhen and Robert Road areas, were blocked.

    “Look at Effurun Roundabout; you will notice that the drain that is supposed to take water to the river behind Sido Close has not been opened. So, the flooding continues.’’

    He advised residents to clear the drains, saying they should not wait for the government.

    “We shouldn’t wait for the government to do everything for us. We should ensure our drains are cleared. The implication is that our roads will be free from flood,” Akporowho added.