Environmentalists Sheriff Mulade urges FG to expedite cleanup of Ogoni, tell Communities to Cooperate with FG

The National Coordinator of Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade has called on the Federal Government to speed up the clean up, remediation and restoration of the degraded Ogoni land in Rivers State, caused by oil and gas exploration activities by multinational oil companies about forty years ago.

Comrade Sheriff Mulade, a traditional High Chief in the Ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State made the call in Abuja over the weekend, while speaking with newsmen on the highly devastated Ogoni land. He called for collaboration among the Federal, Rivers State Governments and Communities, federal and State environmental agencies, as well as CSOs and NGOs towards working out modalities to remediate and restore the degraded Ogoni environment for safe habitation.

Analysing the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP's scientific investigation and recommendations on Ogoni land, Chief Mulade said forty years after the crude oil spillage in Ogoniland, there are evidences that heavy metals have contaminated the land and ground water, the community's source of drinking water contains a dangerous concentration of benzene substance, nine hundred (900) times more than the recommended standard for drinking water and the soil contamination is more than five metres deep in many areas that were studied.

Speaking further, he appeals to all stakeholders particularly the people of Ogoni to give maximum support to President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to carry out remediation and clean-ups activities of the land, he said most of the spill sites which the oil companies claimed to have cleaned were still highly polluted. He said there were evidences of oil films showing the dumping of contaminated soil in unlined pits and there are evidences of water being coated with hydrocarbons more than 1000 times the level allowed by Nigeria's drinking water standards.

The CEPEJ National Coordinator took a swipe on SHELL and other oil multi-nationals over their failure in meeting global environment best practices and standards for remediation. He expressed shock that SHELL and other IOCs which carried out the cleaning, remediation and restoration work on the Ogoni land could not even meet the minimum Nigerian standard or their own specified standard of operation.

While charging the Federal and Rivers State Governments to show more concern for the health of Ogoni people, Chief Sheriff Mulade recommended that the Federal and Rivers State Governments should beef up environmental monitoring and regulations in the country, initiate collaborative actions among the host communities, oil companies and the Government, as well as ensure compliance with environmental guidelines spelt out in operational policies, establish regulatory bodies towards eliminating or minimising the causes of oil spill and making it compulsory for the polluter to pay compensation costs to host communities, State and Federal Governments.

Court orders Okowa government to account for over N200bn education funds, allocations

Court orders Okowa government to account for over N200bn education funds, allocations The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, in a landmark judgment, has “ordered the disclosure of the spending details of over N200bn public funds collected by the government of former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa from the Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC] fund and allocations from the Federation Accounts.” The court ordered the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to “disclose details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by the Okowa government between 2015 and 2019, including specific projects carried out to improve primary education in Delta State, and the locations of such projects.” The judgment was delivered by Honourable Justice Daniel Osiagor, following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/803/2019, brought by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). In his judgment, Justice Osiagor held that, “SERAP has cognizable legal right to inquire and

Olu Of Warri Defends Tradition, Speaks on Christianity

Olu Of Warri Defends Tradition, Speaks on Christianity The Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ògíamẹ̀ Atúwàtse III, has dispelled the insinuation that there is a conflict between the traditional thrones and Christendom. The monarch, who stated this when he received the Soun of Ogbomoso land, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, Orumogege III, in his Palace in Warri Kingdom, Delta State, said that the two institutions were not necessarily antithetical. He also debunked the assumption that traditional institutions were synonymous with fetishism and the worship of creations made by human beings and reasoning. He, however, noted that the two institutions can play complementary role that will contribute to the growth and development of the country. The Olu, who said he was elated by the Soun’s visit, said the new Ogbomoso monarch’s choice of Warri kingdom as his first place of visit was divinely directed, just as his choice for the throne was divinely ordained. He said that they owe i

Many Benefited as Tantita Save Niger Delta From Enviromental Ruins

Many Benefited as Tantita Save Niger Delta From Enviromental Ruins It is on record over the past twenty years in the Niger Delta region, South-South Nigeria where incessant fire disaster and untimely death was on the increase in weekly basis as result of the activities of illegal oil bunkering, especially the process of local refining popularly known as Kpo-Fire. The menace also renders our young married ladies widows in the ljaw riverine communities because most of their life partners venture into the Kpo-Fire business due to its lucrative nature in making quick money. To proof your doubt, take a tour to any of the ljaw riverine communities across Burutu, Warri South-West, Bomadi, Patani in Delta State, and Southern ljaw, Ekeremor, Nembe and Brass LGAs in Bayelsa State, you will discovered that most of our youths are facially disfigured in parts of their body as result of severe fire accident incurred during cooking and burning (refining) of crude oil to kerosene, fuel and desiel for

FocalPoint Reports

Search This Blog