The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government, have reaffirmed commitment to address oil spills and gas flaring in the Niger Delta region.
This pledge was made at the International Conference on Petroleum Pollution and Just Transition in the Niger Delta, held in Abuja on Wednesday.
The conference is themed, “Advancing the Recommendations of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC).
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, represented by Mr Busari Kamoru, Director Upstream, highlighted the Niger Delta’s rich resources and potential.
Lokpobiri emphasised the Federal Government’s dedication to reducing pollution and promoting sustainable environmental l practices.
In his address, Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa noted that international oil companies’ unchecked activities have devastated the state’s rivers and soil.
He cited a report from the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission, “An Environmental Genocide,” which revealed alarming statistics.
According to Diri, 40 per cent of Bayelsa’s mangroves have been destroyed; and toxic spills have contaminated soil and water.
He also said that oil pollution and gas flaring have caused over 16,000 neonatal deaths in 2012 alone.
Diri urged global stakeholders to support the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Also, Sen. Seriake Dickson, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, called for collective action to address environmental pollution.
Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to reducing gas flaring through initiatives like the Hydrocarbons Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
“We must shift from environmental destruction to restoration,” he said.
Lawal was represented by Mr Chukwuemeka Woke, Director- General National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
Earlier, Nnimmo Bassey, Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), emphasised the critical timing of the conference, citing the devastating impact of extractivism and pollution on Nigeria’s socioecological landscape.