Ijaw Leaders Slam Oil Companies, Decry Rise in Pollution

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

The coalition of Ijaw interest groups and other critical stakeholders in the environmental sector has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Bayelsa state Governor, Douye Diri to promulgate a Niger Delta-wide environmental remediation programme.

According to a statement signed by the Secretary, Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF), Lagos, Mr Efiye Bribena; Moderator, Ijaw Nation Forum, Mr Ben Okoro; BOT Chairman, Embasara Foundation Chief Amagbe D. Kentebe; BOT Chairperson, Ijaw Women Connect (IWC) Ms Annkio Briggs, President, Ijaw Professionals Association (IPA) Lagos, Mr Pattison Boleigha; President, Homeland Chapter Ijaw Professionals Association (IPA) Hon. Iniruo Wills; President, Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDC) Prof. Mondy Selle-Gold, the Programme Manager/Head, ERA Niger Delta Resource Centre, Yenagoa, Alagoa Morris and Chairman, Bayelsa NGOs Forum, Kemedengiyefa Opia; and Mr Lanre Suraju, urged Diri to appoint and capacitate a Bayelsa State Special Counsel on Environmental Justice Enforcement, with adequate provisioning and periodic public reporting obligations.

The group urged the Bayelsa state government, Federal Government and the Ministers of Petroleum and Environment to look into the dangerous and destructive pollution slowly killing people in the region and desecrating the ecosystem.

According to a statement by the leaders of the coalition, they urged the Bayelsa state government to immediately take remedial action that will be instantly felt by pollution culprits, devastated communities and the entire chain of local and global stakeholders.

The leaders urged state governments of major oil companies in Nigeria to investigate the environmental pollution of these corporations and sanction them approximately.

They charged the governor to appoint and make suitable provisions for an Honorary/Grand Patron or Goodwill Ambassador of the Environment that will leverage international contracts, global social capital and cognate institution to actualize an Environmental Marshall plan for the state and Niger Delta region.

They however urged the Federal Government to properly fund, stabilize and sanitize the Niger Delta Development Commission and Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project which are vested with statutory mandates for the environmental sustainability and remediation of the Niger Delta, the Ogoni area of the region.