Gabriel Ogunjobi –
The Federal Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril has visited the Port Harcourt city, yesterday to meet with some stakeholders in order to chart out way forward from the environmental pollution of soot in the local region where the refinery is situated.
In recent times, the Nigerian populace have awashed the media space with the rising awareness on the intense havoc of soot in Port Harcourt and this probably drew the immediate attention of the Federal Government.
The Minister briefed the Senate Joint Committee on Environment, Petroleum Down Stream and Up Stream on the situation of the sooty particulate dropping in Rivers State and environs.
While meeting with the Director-General National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, the representative of the Rivers State Government, representatives of the service chiefs, Nigerian Police , NSCDC, the Joint Task Force and some other civil society groups, the minister mentioned that “we’ve gotten to the redline now; it’s time to stop talking and start acting to put this soot problem to an end”.
The Honourable Minister called for the collaboration of all civil societies, security agencies and the traditional rulers to fish out illegal dealers in crude oil so as to eliminate the problem of pollution from the natural resource.
“We as the FG have a responsibility to citizens, and we are open to constructive criticism that can help chart a way forward. The local communities also have a role to play, helping with vital information on illegal activities which may constitute to this.
“Only a collaborative effort between the Local Governments, State and Federal Government, security agencies, traditional rulers, civil society groups and local communities can help bring this to an end. All hands must be on deck”, he established.
Federal Government has however set up an inter-ministerial Committee to deal with soot problem in Rivers State.
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