Abuja: The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government, has reaffirmed its commitment to addressing oil spills and gas flaring in the Niger Delta region. This pledge was made at the International Conference on Petroleum Pollution and Just Transition, held in Abuja, which focused on advancing the recommendations of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC).
According to Voice of Nigeria, 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 emphasized the Federal Government’s dedication to reducing pollution and promoting sustainable environmental practices.
In his address, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa noted that unchecked activities by international oil companies have devastated the state’s rivers and soil. He cited a report from the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission titled ‘An Environmental Genocide,’ which re
vealed alarming statistics. According to Diri, 40 percent of Bayelsa’s mangroves have been destroyed, and toxic spills have contaminated soil and water. He also stated that oil pollution and gas flaring caused over 16,000 neonatal deaths in 2012 alone. Diri urged global stakeholders to support the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Senator Seriake Dickson, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, called for collective action to address environmental pollution. Meanwhile, Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to reducing gas flaring through initiatives like the Hydrocarbons Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP). Represented by Mr. Chukwuemeka Woke, Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Lawal stated, “We must shift from environmental destruction to restoration.”
Earlier, Nnimmo Bassey, Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), emphasized the critical timing of the co
nference, citing the devastating impact of extractivism and pollution on Nigeria’s socioecological landscape.