The bold step by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to launch an offensive against the operators and sponsors of illegal refineries in Rivers State is not only commendable but a step in the right direction.
Recently, the governor declared war on artisanal refineries operators issuing a 48 hours ultimatum to the 23 Local Government Chairmen to provide a comprehensive list of illegal refineries and those behind illegal bunkering activities in their domain.
This follows the prevalence of black soot- a deep black powdery or flaky substance consisting of largely of amorphous carbon produced by the incomplete burning of organic matter in the atmosphere.
The war against illegal bunkering activities followed a reviewed report of a technical team set up by the Rivers State Government and headed by the state’s former Commissioner for Environment, Prof. Roseline Konya which revealed that about 22,077 persons have suffered from respiratory related ailments in the last five years.
The team which comprised of about 20 experts in different inter-disciplinary and related fields, including a consultant physician and dermatologist with the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, Dr. Desatima Altraide, carried out an investigative studies into the airborne particulate (soot) in Port Harcourt and its environs.
In April 2019, the scientific report by the technical team on soot following a hospital base review of records of 22,077 persons, who received care for soot related conditions in Health facilities in Rivers State found in respect to adverse respiratory, skin and reproductive conditions related to black soot, noting further that the persons who received the health care include women, men and children.
Health professionals have warned on the dangers associated with the soot, predicting that if nothing is done urgently to put to an end the menace of the soot, more person should be prepared to experience chronic respiratory diseases, heart problems and increase in mortality rate.
It was revealed in the report that the causes of the prevalence of soot are: refineries, illegal refineries, setting ablaze of illegally refined petroleum products by the military, tyre burning, gas flaring, meat toasting with used tyres, alsphalt plant, refuse burning and fertilizer companies and others. These sources have cummulative impact and overall long time negative effect on the environment, health and the economy
A report by the World Health Organization, WHO stated that outdoor air pollution causes 4.2 millions deaths each years across the world. Additionally, 99 per cent of the global population is exposed to high level of air pollution which puts them at risk of heart diseases, cancer, stroke, and other life threatening medical conditions. Black soot in particular can be linked to a wide range of health effects, including acute bronchitis ( an inflammation the causes coughing) and an aggravated breathing condition for asthma patients.
Of all the causes of black soot, the illeqgal bunkering activities and artisanal crude oil refiners have been identified as the main sources in the Niger Delta.
Before now, concerned citizens of Rivers State, civil society organization and environmental experts have raised alarm on the continuous pollution of the air given rise to the prevalence of soot but to no avail.
But the recent clampdown on the oil bunkering activities by the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has received applause from stakeholders particularly the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col Milland Dikio (rtd) who throw his weight behind the governor’s determined effort to stamp out oil bunkering in the state.
In fact, it has been opined that illegal oil bunkering activities are thriving in the Niger Delta because the Federal Government and the security agencies have often times been fingered in aiding and abeting the illegal operations. Worse still, a lot of influential politicians and military heads reffered to as “cabals” or “cartels” are all involved in the business so it will be very difficult to put an end to it.
It is common knowledge that Sections 44 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) the Land Use Act and the Petroleum Industry Act vests the exclusive control, ownership and management of oil and gas in the Federal Government and not states or Local Government where oil was found ( Exclusive List).
For the Niger Delta states to tackle frontally the menace of air pollution and the environmental degradation caused by the artisanal crude oil bunkers, the other governors of the region should emulate the Rivers State Governor’s proactive and determined stance to bring to an end these illegal bunkering activities in order to save the people of the region from the threats of air pollution related ailments.
Niger Delta Herald is of the view that there need to be a concerted efforts by the federat, states, local governments as well as all stakeholders to end this dangerous business, given the grave health, environmental and economic implication the activities of these oil bunkers pose to the individual and the country at large.
We strongly hold that it is a failing on the part of the Federal Government for its inability to rein in those operators and sponsors of the illegal refineries and artisanal crude oil bunkering, whose activities have become a threat to national security and the economy.
Also, there should be a strong collaboration between the states in the region and the Federal Government to identify these artisanal oil refineries operators, group them into cooperatives and provide them with loans of low interest rates to build modular refineries instead of engaging illegal businesses that had cummulative and long time negative effect on the environment and the people.
To us, the Federal Government and its agencies whose purview the enforcement of the law pertaining to the operations of oil exploration resides should leave up to its responsibility by ensuring those who violate the laws are brought to book, no matter how highly placed are arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
Those carrying out the illegal bunkering business should have a rethink, they shouldn’t place the percuniary benefit derived from such illegal businesses above the life of the people of the region because their activities might directly or indirectly affected their family members as well.
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