Niger Delta: Time for salvation?
I felt very happy when I read about the plans by President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria to implement the report titled: Environmental Assessment of Ogoni Land in Rivers State by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The report, which lasted several months, was carefully and expertly carried out by the UNEP in 2011- at the request of the Nigerian governmentto find a lasting solution to the massive environmental degradation, devastation, depletion and pollution rocking the Niger-Delta region right from the onset of crude oil exploration and exploitation in the region- dating back to the 1950s.
While it will take an astonishing 25 to 30 years for the total clean up of Ogoni land to be completed according to the report, however, this is a giant leap from the marsh towards ensuring environmental sustainability. This is a good sign that the Nigerian Government is now ready to take environmental issues with utmost alacrity unlike the previous norms in which the environment (supposedly our natural heritage) is one of the most neglected sector.
As an environmentalist, I have been critical of APC’s environmental policies for despite being an ardent supporter of the great party, I’ve never come across any explicit environmental policies of my liking, alongside many others, in that field. I was privileged to attend a town hall meeting- just few months to the last election that ushered in a new administration- where Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo was addressing us about the manifesto of the party. I wanted to ask about the environmental policies of the party but I was unable to do that due to time constraints.
The world today is very much concerned about the highrising environmental problems and nations are embarking on a plan of actions in order to preserve, conserve and protect the environment at air, land and sea levels.
The last time we had a robust, sound and vibrant environmental hullabaloo was during the Koko Toxic waste dump of 1988 where metric tons of toxic waste (of Italian origin) were dumped in a town called Koko in Bendel State (which is now Delta State). The toxic waste dump- having caused a severe damage and attracted a lot of global concern- led to the then Federal Military Government of President Ibrahim Babangida to promulgate the Harmful Waste Special Criminal Provisions Decree, now re-enacted as Harmful Waste Special Criminal Provisions Act Cap H1 LFN 2004.
The Harmful Waste Act prohibits- inter aliathe carrying, depositing, transporting and dumping of toxic and hazardous waste at air, land, water and territorial boundaries of Nigeria. One important point about this act is the fact that it recognises no immunity; whoever is found violating the act will be subjected to life imprisonment sentence.
After the Harmful Waste Special Criminal Provisions Act, CAP H1 LFN 2004 (then a decree in 1988) was the formulation of the Nigeria National Policy on the Environment in 1988 which was aimed at ensuring sustainable use and development of the Nigerian environment at all levels.
We shouldn’t forget about the NESREA act (to enforce compliance of environmental policies, rules and regulations and to maintain the best environmental standards) of 2007, enacted during the early and promising days of President Umaru Musa ‘Yaradua’s administration; the NOSDRA act (to detect and respond to oil spillage in the Niger-Delta) to mention but a few.
In light of the foregoing discourse, the implementation of these laws and provisions have persistently proved to be futile. It appears to be a mere paper tiger, toothless bulldog or mere window dressing. Years after their establishment, the Niger-Delta region has, on a usual basis, suffered untold hardship which is threateningly leading to species extinction, biodiversity loss and to top it all, severe human discomfort.
Even though the Ogoni Land isn’t the only land plagued by extreme environmental problems- like gas flaring, pollution, oil spill, biodiversity loss and extinction etc- it is, however, arguably the most environmentally affected region in the Niger-Delta and to start with that community is very commendable and outstanding to say the least.
One major step the government should take is to try and revise the current environmental policies to suit that region. The current permissive environmental policies in the Niger-Delta region will always provide room for massive depletion and degradation of the environment because the authorities concerned will always turn a deaf ear when it comes to environmental sustainability and people’s welfare. We need revolutionary policies which will be aimed at trying to carry out a massive overhaul in that particular region.
Muhd El-Bonga Ibraheem is a young Environmentalist who recently graduated from the University of Abuja. Tweet @ el_bonga Facebook : Muhd ElBonga Ibraheem.