09 April 2014, Lagos – The Ecological Fund Office, EFO, in the Presidency has urged oil producing companies to protect the environment from oil spillage.
It noted that incessant spillage constitutes threat to the entire ecosystem within the oil producing region and beyond.
Tolu Makinde, the Deputy Director of Press in the office, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Mr. Makinde noted that oil spill had a lot of negative socio-economic and environmental effects and that the responsibility of hat cleaning up the polluted environment was a statutory issue that involved experts.
According to him, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, is the only organisation that has the expertise to ensure safe environment within the oil producing communities.
“It is NOSDRA that has the professional capacity to supervise the clean up oil spill whenever they occur; to ensure that the oil and gas producing environment is safe and clean for habitation.
“The agency has the mandate to regulate oil production and its effect on the environment and to ensure that polluters undertake their responsibility too.
“Some of the cases of spillage are caused by sabotage; in this case, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) comes in.
“Catastrophe to life involves NEMA, but part of its operational cost is derived from the fund, so, it is not within our mandate to intervene in such emergencies because it is statutory.
– NAN
