Niger Delta
Foundation Trains 80 Persons On Pollution Monitoring In Bayelsa
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an environmental rights group, on Saturday, trained 80 residents of Ogboibiri, an oil-bearing community in Bayelsa, on environmental pollution monitoring and reporting.
The Programme Manager, HOMEF, Mr Stephen Oduware, said during the training in Ogboibiri, that the community was largely impacted by the activities of oil and gas industries in the area.
Oduware added that the people of the community, located at Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa, were in a better position to protect their environment and report any form of pollution affecting them.
He explained that the goal of the training was to bring the people together to highlight and document their environmental challenges caused by pollution.
The programme manager added that the skills would enable them to document their experiences and how environmental pollution was affecting their daily lives.
He noted that the activities of international oil companies in the area were polluting the environment, with recorded oil spills and gas leakages in 2015, 2021 and 2022.
This, according to him, has resulted in environmental pollution and degradation, adding that many of the farmers and fishermen in the community have lost their means of livelihood.
“Fishermen and women can no longer go to the river to fish, because the water is highly polluted, and you know you cannot find fish in the soup of oil.
“The people are also concerned that a particular species called “Mama Coco”, a cherished specie of cocoyam, is extinct in the community and other crops and tubers are experiencing low yield”, he said.
He said the training was also organised to stand in solidarity with the people, and to assure them that “together, we can push and fight for a healthy environment”.
According to him, the capacity building training will enable the community members to advocate for sustainable environmental practices and speak up on what they want in their community.
“It may take time, but we will make progress at the end of the day.
“The training covers sessions on community governance to enable them to partner with relevant stakeholders including civil society organisations to amplify their voices.
“This will make their voices heard by government officials and policy makers and eventually create the change that they want to see in their community”.
Oduware urged the oil companies working in the community to stop the spills and conduct regular assessments of the health status of the people.
He also called on the companies to carry out environmental cleanup and restore the livelihood of the people affected by environmental pollution due to their activities.
On his part, Mr Morris Alagoa, Programme Manager, Head Environmental Right Action (ERA), Niger Delta Resource Centre, said the training would enlighten the people on environmental pollution and mitigation procedures.
Alagoa argued that oil spill was among environmental pollution that affects the healthy living of rural dwellers.
“We are here to empower the community members on how to reach out to the government, the oil firms, and the media with concerns relating to environmental pollution.
“This will equip them with the needed skills to deal with their issues”, he said.
Also, Mr Monday Zeworitin, Project Officer, ERA, described pollution as the “alteration of the natural physico-chemical characteristics of an entity, medium or matter” because of the presence of substances or compounds.
He said that oil spill was a form of pollution caused by accidental release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbons into the environment due to human activity.
“These spills load the marine environment with a lot of dangerous chemicals that are detrimental to life under water.
“When exposed to oil, adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction impairment.
“Oil also adversely affects eggs and larval survival”, he said.
The Tide’s source recalls that residents of the area had fled the coastal community several times from 2013 to date, following massive gas leakages from nearby oilfields.
The Delta State House of Assembly has commenced public hearing on the State Human Trafficking (Prohibition) Bill, 2024.
The Tide’s source reports that the public hearing was organised by the House Committee on Housing, Women Affairs, Humanitarian Support Services and Girl Child Entrepreneurship in Asaba.
Chairman of the committee, Mrs Bridget Anyafulu, said the hearing was to provide members of the public the opportunity to offer contributions to the proposed law.
“The ultimate goal is to ensure that the state has a law that adequately answers to the challenges it seems to address and satisfy the needs and aspirations of our people and society.
“We have invited you to join us to make a law that will help to effectively address and eradicate the odious practice of human trafficking in our state.
“We know that as stakeholders, the effective participation in making this law will go a long way in enhancing the quality of the law that will finally emerge from the process”, she said.
Anyafulu assured the stakeholders that the committee would look into their suggestions and consider areas that could help to strengthen the bill as well as enhance its quality.
On her part, the State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Community Support Services and Girl Child Development, Ms. Orode Uduaghan, called for the inclusion of the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in the implementation process.
It also reports that Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), State Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), among others, were involved in the public hearing.
They commended the State Executive for initiating the bill and called for its speedy passage.
The Federal Government has handed over 24,180 bags of 50kg maize and 5,828 bags of 25kg ‘garri’ to the Akwa Ibom State Government for distribution to vulnerable households.
The Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, made the presentation on behalf of the Federal Government in Uyo, the State Capital.
Represented by Mrs. Mmandu Aisueni, the Head, Operations, NEMA, Akwa Ibom State office, Umar said the donation was in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to Nigerians.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government approved the release of 42, 000 metric tonnes of assorted food items from the National Strategic Reserve to vulnerable households.
Umar said that the president’s promise was the government’s way of reducing the impact of the current economic hardship in the country.
“We are here to hand over the food items to the state government for distribution to the intended beneficiaries in the communities”, she said.
The NEMA D-G said that the food items should be shared in the communities through properly constituted committees at the local government levels.
She said membership of the local government committees should include the council chairman, representatives of the State Emergency Management Agency and the traditional institutions.
Umar said 20 per cent of the food items for each council area should be given to religious groups, and that three per cent of it should be given to boarding schools in the area.
Receiving the items, Dr Offiong Offor, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, commended the Federal Government for the intervention.
Offor said that the gesture was a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to the wellbeing of the citizenry.
The commissioner promised that the state government would ensure that the items were given to the intended beneficiaries.
A group, Concerned Obidient Movement, has declared support for Mr. Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the September 21 Edo State governorship election.
Leader of the group, Mr. Ikhuenbor Igbinevbo, told newsmen in Benin that the election transcends individual personalities.
“It is a critical moment that will shape the future of Edo. The PDP is creating a climate of renewed political energy that promises sustainable progress.
“Its candidate, Ighodalo, and the deputy, Osarodion Ogie, possess the vision and qualifications that align with the aspirations of Edo people,” he said.
Igbinevbo highlighted the candidates’ deep understanding of the State’s challenges and potential which, he said, positions them to lead the state into a new era of prosperity and responsible governance.
He urged Edo people, both at home and in the Diaspora, to unite in their support for the PDP and its candidates ahead of the election.
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