Darah accuses govt of negligence
Anti Oil Theft Sensitisation Initiative, AOTSI has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to as a matter of necessity stop the debilitating menace of the activities of oil companies in the Niger Delta region to save the region’s environment by enforcing the laws against environmental degradation, gas flaring, illicit trade in petroleum products and sundry crimes in both upstream and downstream segments of the oil industry.
This was made known by AOTSI President, Comrade Abraham Ekokotu in a speech titled: “We Have Agonised Enough, Niger Delta Region Must Smile Again” delivered during the unveiling of the group’s volunteer force against oil theft and vandalism where Professor Godini Darah, was the Keynote Speaker in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, Thursday.
The Federal Government, the former ex-militant leader noted has neglected the Niger Delta environment leaving the region’s unemployed youth in its lethargy shown towards the affairs of the people with the only option of going into illicit oil bunkering and sundry crimes, in the downstream oil industry a development he noted impacts negatively on the inhabitants and the environment.
Ekokotu knocked the oil companies for gas flaring in the region without measures to curb it’s recklessness for dearth of concern for lives and property of the Niger Delta people while the government through its regulatory agencies play the ostrich and this, he added has caused untold damage to the region’s ecosystem which he said has affected the food productive capacity of the agrarian people of the region including the aquatic life due to dangerous gas emitted daily into the sky, added to the illicit crude burning by wheelers and dealers in stolen oil products.
Ekokotu, who doubles as the national Secretary of the Coalition of Urhobo – Isoko Ex-Agitators, is prepared to sensitise and educate the people on the dangers inherent in crude burning, vandalism of oil facilities, oil theft and other crimes noting that the region shouldn’t be allowed to be destroyed by what he described as conspiracy of silence by FG and oil companies.
“The group” he stated, “will engage more in intelligence gathering, enlightenment and education of the people as he sought the cooperation and support of the security agencies to succeed in the task of ending oil theft in the region as he pointed accusing fingers on some security agencies and Petroleum Marketers who he noted connive with illicit oil bunkerers to succeed in their activities”, saying, “enough is enough!”
According to the Urhobo-born national Coordinator of the group, “the inaugurated volunteers numbering about 500 able body men and women would be deployed in the forests and communities considered the flash points for oil bunkering and other nefarious activities that are injurious to health and environment and onward report to the appropriate quarters and same goes for any security agent found to be complicit in the illicit trade.”
To him, “it is no business as usual due to need to save the people and environment.”
Keynote Speaker, Professor Darah, unleashed his anger on the FG noting that the government was more culpable in destroying the region through its lackadaisical attitudes towards anything Niger Delta region.
He stated that the oil pipelines running through the region’s landscape were laid over 60 years ago and are due for change due to corrosion but the operators of the system feel unconcerned about it.
“The rusted pipes,” the Professor of English Language and Senior Lecturer at Delta State University, Abraka noted, “are vulnerable and mostly broken thereby emptying it’s content into the soil this development he said, is a deliberate attempt to ruin the region by the government.”
To the former Editorial Board Chairman of The Guardian Newspaper, the government is the real illicit oil bunkerer, stressing that the people own their resources while the government arm twist and exploit their resources without commensurate returns to the region for development and betterment of their lives including the environment where exploration activities take place wondering why and how the owner of a property becomes a thief.
Present at the event were: the representatives of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Boufini Rowland Bruce; Nation Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, Iheanacho Chukwuemeka; Bayelsa State Ministry of Mineral Resources, Engr. Bipeledei Oweidein among other notable dignitaries from far and near.
