It is no news that the city of Port Harcourt have over the
past 18 months been faced with the issue of air pollution in form of soot due
to various activities in the state capital; from illegal bunkering, gas flaring
from refineries, burning of tires and clamping down on the criminals associated
with the bunkering processes at neighboring villages within the capital. The
process of destroying the illegal bunkering equipment has done more harm than
good, as these equipment are burnt by the task force carrying out this
activity.
In February 2017, concerned citizens of Port Harcourt came
out in their numbers for a campaign walk for the same purpose - calling on
necessary stakeholders to do the needful regarding the soot.
More than a year after the first campaign walk, as a result
of the worsening situation of the pollution and after months of online campaign
to #StopTheSoot, concerned stakeholders decided to take the campaign offline
and into the streets amidst the government’s insensitivity to find a lasting
solution to the pollution.
The campaign had people from different walks of life come
together for the purpose of achieving the same goal of ending the soot
pollution. Among those present were representatives from UNEP and WHO.
In an earlier report, the state governor had called on the
campaign walk organizers to take the campaign to the federal government and the
state government due to the fact that the gas flaring activities and task force
group working for the purpose of destroying illegal refineries in the region
were directly associated and working on directives from the federal government.
However, the campaign organizers made it a point of note that the pollution is not political in any form and directed those who will come out for the walk to desist from any form of political coloration of the walk.
The campaigners started the walk for Isaac Boro Park through
Azikwe Road to the Rivers State government house. They commenced from there to
the state House of Assembly and the Department of Petroleum Resources on Moscow
Road. The campaigners had the following demands among other mitigating actions;
1. Persuade Representatives in the National and State Assemblies
to move a motion to compel the Federal Government and its relevant agencies to
declare an Environmental Emergency in the State,
2. That the aforesaid National and State Assembly
representatives should urgently move a motion calling for the immediate funding
of the Ogoni Clean up in accordance with the recommendations of the UNEP
Report,
3. Provide a supplementary Budget for Ministry of
Environment to embark on an immediate Environmental Audit of Rivers State and
publish the findings,
4. Direct the Ministry of Health to embark on a street to
street public health campaign,
5. Order the Ministry to collaborate with the Rivers State
branch of the Nigeria Medical Association to collate the average state of
health of residents of Rivers State and the identity a trend if any on the
cause of death of persons in the last one year,
6. Make findings the outcomes of its Committees on Health
and Environment in exercise of its oversight functions for the past 2 years
public,
The Federal, State and, Local Governments are also invited
to perform their constitutional
responsibility of protecting lives and property, which includes the
environment, is given paramount attention.
Campaigners hope for a speedy resolution to the pollution
that has blighted the city for several months and as conveyed by the Deputy
Governor of the State and the Commissioner for Environment, we all it will
happen soon.
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