Human sustenance, tied to a healthy environment ―Alagoa

 

ENVIRONMENTAL Right Activist/Friend of the Earth Nigeria (ERAFoEN), Mr Morris Alagoa has said that human sustenance cannot be divested from a healthy environment; and emphasized the need for mankind to cultivate a friendly approach towards their environment and to desist from desecrating it owing to resultant adverse effect on society.

Alagoa, who called on the federal, state and local government to re-invigorate laws protecting the environment, submitted that wealth for nation building and development lies in the promotion of a healthy environment.

Speaking with journalists in Yenagoa in commemoration of the World Environment Day, Alagoa averred that the natural environment determines the survival of mankind, plants and animals, and as such the interplay equilibrium between the environment and man, plant and animals must be protected.

The Environmental Right Activists pointed that it’s no gainsaying that advance countries owe its wealth and prosperity to the environment, water bodies and forestry reserve, and accounts for the promotion of aqua-culture, promoting of wildlife, Greenfield vegetation, parks and gardens to promote tourism.

He alluded that it was time third world countries begin to see and tap the potentials and ability to create wealth to grow her economy by refraining from acts that are injurious to the eco-system, such as exploration and exploitation activities, and the emission of toxics into the atmosphere.

According to him, natural malaise to the environment account for 20 percent degradation, such as climate change, amongst other, while society injury due to human activities account for 80 percent degradation that the eco-system has suffered till date.

Alagoa picked holes in the indiscriminate abuse to the environment through the activities of man without recourse to environmental laws, such as discharge of un-treated liquid and solid waste by oil multi-nationals and construction companies into the rivers and streams, worse hit by this atrocity is the people of the Niger Delta.

He condemned the volume of gas flared without mitigation in the Niger Delta, stressing that the ozone layer depletion was as a result of man’s injurious activities to the eco-system, even as he noted that on a daily basis oil/construction multinational are engaged in deforestation without re-creating a buffer zone thereby destroying the biodiversity of the environment.

Alagoa regretted that many species of fishes are no longer found in the river because of the activities of man, several animals have gone into extinct in the region, thereby destroying the natural occupation of the people such as farming, fishing and hunting for consumption and large scale business.

He submitted that economic trees have all been destroyed, a situation that has hampered the production canoe carvers, palm seedling for the production of palm oil and other food and cash crops that could generate huge capital for society.

The Environmental Activists cited the insensitivity of oil multinationals to replace some their rustic pipes that usually suffer combustion resulting in massive oil leak and spillage, and its attendant wild spread that has destroyed arable farmland in most communities in the region.

Alagoa lamented the health, economic and social impact associated with man’s carelessness to the environment, stressing that most communities are combating with polluted air, emission of nitrogenous waste into the atmosphere, even as cited the oil spillage incident at Yiba-Ama community in Ogbia local government area of the state.

He regretted that while these brazen acts is inflicted on the environment, timely clean up and remediation to avert death toll ought to be carried out the oil multinational, but rather they would continue to foot – drag and nag despite public outcry over an issue that has serious implications on the well-being of the environment, health and livelihood of the people.

Alagoa, however, called on society, mankind and the oil companies to have a re-think and begin to act as friends of the environment, adding that government at all levels should re-invigorate legislation of environmental laws, adding that when man begin to give the environment the desired attention, it would in turn produce the needed ambiance and create wealth for societal growth and even development of nations.