Environmentalist raises concerns over ministries of Marine and Blue Economy, Petroleum Resources

The appointment of a minister to man Gas Resources in the Petroleum Resources Ministry and the creation of a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, have raised special concerns regarding the environment.

This is according to the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey.

The environmentalist said that creating a Ministry of Gas and Petroleum Resources would only give licence to the continuous gas emissions which are a major cause of climate change and attendant problems faced by the  communities.

“By placing a special focus and promoting the gas industry, the ministry overseeing Gas and Oil Resources will inexorably discourage the development of cleaner and more sustainable energy alternatives. This will further create a long-term dependency on fossil fuels, at a time when all efforts should be made to ‘depetrolise’ our economy,” Bassey said in a statement made available to Nigerian Tribune.

The Executive Director of HOMEF stated that “We do not see a bright future for the Nigerian environment, people, and economy with the President as minister of petroleum, and with the creation of a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. These ministries will pose unique problems for our aquatic ecosystems and will inevitably worsen the plight of communities whose interests are once more set to be sacrificed.”

Bassey added that title Marine and Blue Economy is tautological as the ‘Blue Economy’ is practicable only in marine or aquatic ecosystems. “The government may wish to rename the unit as Ministry of Marine Resources. The concept of Blue Economy, like the Green Economy, is aimed at massive exploitation and commodification of nature with deleterious consequences. Developing the marine and blue economy sectors will lead to industrial fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, marine biotechnology, deep sea mining and other activities that are ecologically harmful. With a hugely unpoliced continental shelf this focus will pose special threats to our communities and others in the entire Gulf of Guinea.”

The HOMEF boss believes that by prioritisng gas, other renewable energy sources will be neglected.

“This lack of diversification will hinder a country’s ability to adapt to future energy demands. It portends continuous disruption of our ecosystems with attendant health and safety risks. At a time when health and environmental audits should be conducted in the oil field communities, the government is poised to ramp up the horrors. This is unacceptable,” he said.

“It should also be noted that our inland water, coastal and marine environment have been subjected to violent exploitation that has led to the degradation that the environment suffer from; creating this ministry will lead to the intensification of such violet exploitation.

“It is important to carefully consider the potential repercussions when setting priorities for energy policies, as finding the right balance between economic interests, environmental health, and social well-being is crucial,” he added.