Gov Wike blames soot prevalence on security agencies

RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike has blamed the persisting soot damaging the state’s environment on Federal Security Agencies in the state faulting their style of destroying illegal refineries.

Governor Wike lamented that the Rivers State Government has formally approached the Federal Government to help resolve the challenge, without any assistance from that quarter.

Speaking during a television programme monitored in Port Harcourt on Friday, Governor Wike stated that security agencies must find alternative ways of destroying illegal refineries.

“We set up a Technical Committee to investigate the black soot problem”, the governor said adding that the committee’s report indicated that the black soot was largely a product of the destruction of illegal refineries by security agencies.

He said;”It is not within the purview of the state government to tackle control the security agencies. Therefore, we met with them and appealed that they find alternative ways to destroy the illegal refineries.

“We also appealed to the Federal Government to intervene, but so far they are yet to do anything”.

The governor added: “We have prioritised this issue, but we cannot stop the security agencies. There must be a refined way of stopped the oil criminals, without damaging the environment.”

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He said that politics must be separated from governance in respect of issues that affect the people.

“We should separate politics from governance. This issue of an environmental challenge posed by the black soot requires the direct intervention of the Federal Government.

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“We are working with all major stakeholders to address this challenge. We are working with international oil companies to provide needed solutions. The Federal Government should as a matter of urgency intervene because the solution is within her purview,” Governor Wike said.

The governor explained that the Rivers State Government’s Committee has taken the fundamental steps of checking the indiscriminate burning of tyres, but the major challenge is the manner the Security Agencies destroy illegal refineries.