Pollution and fishing in the Niger Delta

Written by the Editorial Bard of The Guardian Newspaper

The consistent lamentations by various civil society groups over the plight of fishermen and peasant farmers in the oil-rich Niger Delta who have deserted their long-established fishing and farming occupations due to pollution of their environment appropriately capture the pains of the devastation of the ecosystem of the oil bearing communities.

Non-governmental organisations (NGO) have over the years appealed to pipeline vandals, militants, illegal oil bunkerers and indigenous and multinational oil companies to halt the destruction of the environment in the region through their activities, a position shared by all Nigerians and even the international community.

Vandalism of oil facilities by oil bunkerers and destruction of oil installations by aggrieved militants, no doubt, are impacting negatively on the environment and living standards.

President Buhari approves actions to fast-track environmental clean-up of Ogoniland - Presidency

Press statement from Presidency:

In keeping with his avowed commitment to working for the development and well-being of all Nigerians, President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday in Abuja approved several actions to fast-track the long delayed implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report on the environmental restoration of Ogoniland. 

The actions approved by President Buhari, based on recommendations to him by the Executive Director of UNEP, the UNEP Special Representative for Ogoniland, Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Ministries of Environment and Petroleum Resources, and other stakeholders, include the 

amendment of the Official Gazette establishing the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) to reflect a new governance framework comprising a Governing Council, a Board of Trustees and Project Management. The President further approved that the HYPREP Governing Council should be composed as follows: