Gas flaring: Group decries lack of political will to end environmental polution

A group of environmental activists comprising civil society organisation, community and media representatives has frowned at the inability of the Federal Government to muster political will to end decades of gas flaring in the country.

The group insisted on the need to change the misleading narratives that soot pollution currently experienced in Rivers State and other parts of the Niger Delta region exclusively is caused by illegal refining activities otherwise known as Kpo fire.

It called on groups, local communities and civil society organisations to capitalise on available local and international legislations against pollution to put an end to gas flaring, noting that a recent United Nations provision had made access to clean air a fundamental human rights with Nigeria as a signatory.

Rising from a one-day Civil Society/Communities/Media Discussion on Soot Pollution held in Port Harcourt recently, the group recommended the immediate amendment to the recently enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to make adequate provision to end every activity in petroleum industry that causes environmental and air pollution, including gas flaring.

The discussion was coordinated by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).

In his remarks, Director of Programmes, CAPPA, Mr Philip Jakpor, implored civil society and community groups to sustain advocacy and agitation for fair treatment of impacted communities under the PIA regime.

He stressed the need for government to tackle the soot menace for safety of residents of Rivers State, adding that the pollution was fast spreading to other parts of the Niger Delta region and even beyond.

Jakpor explained: “Seven years ago when residents of Port Harcourt and its environs started noticing thick smog in the atmosphere they felt alarmed because what they observed was not associated with harmattan or the morning dew after heavy rains. There was something unusually different with this type of smog as it left black stains on the surface of items.

“The stains later found to be soot coated everything in the open space from roof tops, clothes hung outside and also penetrating the surface of appliances and floors of homes.”

Also speaking at the workshop, Executive Director of ‘We the People’, Ken Henshaw,  expressed disappointment with the PIA which he said was expected after over 20 years delay to address the plight of impacted communities in the Niger Delta, describing it as a total disgrace.

Henshaw said: “The PIA was an opportunity for us to address this problem, but the PIA failed woefully in addressing the problems. So, rather than seek strategies to better protect the complex matrix of pipelines across the swamp creeks and rivers of the Niger Delta region, what the PIA  does is to conclude that communities are the ones stealing crude oil.

“If it is agreed that oil theft is a complex business with international finance and so on so forth,  why do you now put the responsibility of protecting all installation in the hands of unarmed community people against the armed corporate, group and individual criminals?

“This is a continuation of the fights of the Nigerian state in collaboration with oil companies against the local people of the region.

“The PIA has emerged now as an instrument of oppression of our people. That is what the PIA has made itself, an instrument of our oppression, an extra instrument for the oppression of the people of the region. And what we are going to see is a consistent month in month out, year in year out, certain communities in the Niger Delta will get no benefits from the PIA.”

“The PIA does not outlaw gas flaring. It rather gives the minister power to grant permits to oil companies to flare gas under certain conditions. It allows companies to flare gas and pay fines and even the fines that are paid are not paid to the local communities that suffer the impacts of gas flaring. The fines are now paid to the Midstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MGIF), which has absolutely no business of remediating the impact of gas flaring.”

He therefore, urged government to put frameworks in place to ensure that if all companies are diversified and leaving, they must clean up their mess, restore the livelihoods of the people before they leave otherwise, they should be held accountable.