Environment: Protection and Preservation of it 2

Our country, Nigeria spans almost 1 million square kilometres of land mass with the Northern dry savannahs and watered Niger Delta region. We are blessed with natural resources and not only Crude Oil but too much reliance on it has blinded most to the potentials of other sources of wealth. Sources like Cocoa, Groundnut, Palm Oil and so on. The issue of environmental pollution worldwide should be of immense concern to everyone because we live in THIS world and ought to keep our places of domicile pollution-free.

An uncle once told me that an American friend of his’ told him that “Nigeria has what it takes to be great like America BUT we have serious management and or leadership issues.” Some of us may not realize the level of environmental degradation in Nigeria but our brothers and sisters in diaspora as well as foreigners lament the level of destruction and apparent lack of concern by some companies with regards to the welfare of the indigenes of the affected areas or host communities.

The rate of sustained pollution in the country is getting worse each day and it does not take rocket science to deduce that the effect of pollution affects our mortality and life expectancy rates. How do we expect to live longer considering the toxicity in the air, water and food via chemicals used in farming et al? This is a topic that affects us all and should be given high priority by our leaders for not just our sakes but our children and those unborn.



Aside oil spillage and gas flaring, other types of pollution include blocked sewage, decomposed refuse, smog and so on. The first hyped instance of environmental pollution was during the dumping of toxic waste at Koko in Sapele, Delta State in 1987. Nigeria wasn’t equipped at the time to handle such issues. This led to the establishment of Harmful Waste Decrees 42 & 58 of 1988 and 59(amended) of 1992 under FEPA-Federal Environmental Protection Agency which in union with some relevant federal departments became Federal Ministry of Environment (Housing and Urban Development) in 1999 and later established NESREA-National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency as one of its parastatal to enforce Nigeria’s environmental laws. The issue of oil spills in the Niger Delta region and the continued neglect of the people probably due legal mumbo jumbo caused the late Ken Saro Wiwa and his cronies to protest which led to their execution in 1995. It is a fact that enormous amounts of money is made from oil from the Delta region but can someone please explain the appalling plight of some coastal areas we see when travelling by boat? Why can’t some of the money made be used in improving on the situation in these areas? Why can’t our elected leaders insist that companies which cause such degradation be made to suffer the consequences? Why is it that most of the things we allow foreigners get away with WOULD never be allowed to see the light of day in THEIR own countries? Please someone should tell us why?

When leaks are reported by natives probably due to wear and tear as a result of age or poor maintenance of pipelines, the crux of the matter becomes the slow response which increases the magnitude of the spillage. That is, should oil spills enter the waters, it affects marine life including flora like the mangrove, the livelihood of the fishermen, destroy farmlands, cause food poison from toxic seafood already caught and a whole lot of other problems including contaminated drinking water. These issues result in disgust and lead to clashes. It shows our overdependence on oil. Thank God our government is working on reviving the once booming Risonpalm and hopefully others are doing something to reduce reliance on petroleum products.

These companies involved in oil exploration should be compelled to adhere to world environmental standards when doing business including using modern equipment, frequent maintenance for ageing pipes, impact assessment in order to envisage likely oil prospecting impact and most importantly, fast response to environmental problems they cause. Also Gas Flaring which is in partnership with oil production release carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals into the air and this causes breathing and skin problems. It is also known to affect the Ozone layer and the issue of global warming. Companies ought to be made to utilize modern drilling equipment that do not require gas flaring as well as face stiffer penalties for environmental hazards caused by them especially when deadlines are not met.

I may not have enough info but The Environment is one topic we cannot exhaust. Let us do what we can to sustain it before some of the things we watch in sci-fi films begin to happen before our eyes. Infact they already have started. Have a lovely night guys. Catch y’all later. Cheers.