Mkpoikana Udoma
09 June 2018, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt — The Rivers State Government has expressed the need for the sensitization of host communities in the Niger Delta, on the devastating impact of oil pollution in the environment.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Prof. Roselyn Konya, made this known at a one-day national summit in sensitisation on oil spill response and management in Nigeria organised by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, in Port Harcourt.
The commissioner expressed the need for the summit to look at the negative impact of oil spills in the environment while efforts should be geared towards stopping people from erecting the structures on the pipeline right of ways.
Konya who called for international best practices in response to the issue of oil spills in the region commended NOSDRA for the summit and pledged the support of the Rivers State Government to the programme.
“We believed that there is need to sensitize our communities on the devastating impact of oil pollution in the environment.
“There is also an urgent need for sustainable maintenance of pipelines by their owners as most of these pipelines, especially those laid in the 1950s and 1960s have expired their warranty.”
Earlier, the Director General of NOSDRA, Dr. Peter Idabor, said the summit was aimed at proffering functional and sustainable strategies and recommending a solution to environmental problems in the region.
Idabor stressed the need for a regulatory framework for the manufacturing and use of crude oil as well as the collection, storage, transport and disposal of waste.
He emphasized how improperly managed oil spills can be harmful to communities.
“This summit is convened to sensitised stakeholders, particularly the communities, on what they can do to mitigate oil spills and its associated harmful consequences on their environment.”
