The Environment Aware and Restoration Network (EARN), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has called on stakeholders to pay attention to restoring environmental pollution challenges in oil producing areas.
Chief Executive Officer of EARN, Prof. Sylvester Egwu, made the call on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, during an interview in Lagos.
According to him, with the discovery of crude oil in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State, since 1956, there have been 7,000 oil spill incidences making Nigeria the worst polluters in the world.
He said that the environment had been so much degraded, such that there are great concerns on agriculture, fishing, health of the people in the communities and access to good drinking water among others in the areas.
Egwu said that the NGO would hold an oil pollution conference in Yenagoa, Balyesa, between March 27 and 28.
He said the conference would address the various environmental pollution concerns and profer solutions on best ways to handle the degradation.
Egwu said the theme of the conference is entitled: “Climate Change and Environmental Challenges in the Oil Producing Areas of Nigeria.”
According to him, seasoned professionals in the various fields will be on ground to give their wealth of experiences on how to ameliorate the situation.
Egwu said that another concern now was the divestment of International Oil Companies (IOC) from off-shore (land operations) to on-shore (deep sea operations).
He said that the development had heightened the already existing fears on the environmental situation in the areas.
Egwu said that now was the time for the federal and state governments, and stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to pay serious attention in remedying the environmental challenges in the areas.
By Chidinma Agu
