News
Life Expectancy In N’Delta Reduced To 41 By Oil Exploration, Environmental Activist Raises Alarm
…says oil companies must ‘clean up their mess’
An environmental activist and Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, on Thursday lamented that oil exploration and its consequent gas flaring and other environmental degradations in the Niger Delta has reduced life expectancy in the region to 41 years.
The Executive Director who made the revelation in Benin at a book reading for HOMEF staff as part of their yearly retreat, further lamented that life expectancy in the region is one of the lowest in the world.
Speaking on the theme: Culture of Life, Bassey said the theme was chosen so as to establish the fact that “we are conscious of the fact that whatever we do must support life, not the culture of death, which the oil companies are doing.”
“Life expectancy in the Niger Delta is 41 years, one of the lowest in the world. That is why we have children as elders in the region; children as chiefs and traditional rulers in the region. Elders who are supposed to occupy these positions have gone. And the reason why we have this low life expectancy is because of the oil exploration. Gas flaring, heat in our communities in the region, etc, are affecting our lives,” he said.
READ ALSO: Environmental Activist, Nnimmo Bassey, Harps On Benefits Of Renewable Energy
The environmental activist, while lamenting that “the Niger Delta situation is pathetic,” said “both the government and the oil companies both local or international don’t care about the people; they don’t care about the environment, all they care about is the profit.”
He added: “Niger Delta host communities are living with very toxic gas flaring, and this causes a lot of health challenges including miscarriage, Cancer, blood disorder, skin diseases, difficulty in breathing, etc.”
The Executive Director who said it’s high time oil companies “cleaned up their mess in the region” said they must also pay for restoration of the environment, etc.
He said: “We have been saying oil companies should clear up their mess, we are here to say again that now is the time. They should clean up their mess, they should pay for a restoration and also pay for the losses by the people.”
READ ALSO: HOMEF @10: Environmental Activist Advocates Safer, Satisfactory Nigeria, Africa
He added: “I want to say that before any oil well should be opened, there should be a deposit, so that at the end of the life span of that oil well, the money (deposit) would be used to restore the environment and also pay compensation for damage. We have such provision in the Solid Minerals Act of 2007, but the PIA doesn’t really have such provision. The PIA rather criminalises poor communities. So, the PIA is not a document that has the interest of the people in mind.”
On oil companies planned divestment, Bassey said: “Oil companies said they want to divest, but unfortunately there is no clear government policy on divestment.”
On her part, Rhoda Essine from Akwa Ibom State also lamented that “extraction of oil in our communities is a cause rather than a blessing,” adding “this same community oil is being extracted has just only one government secondary school, the classes are overcrowded.”
“A woman less than 40 years will lose her monthly circle because of the heat; because of the gas flaring. The damage to our environment is enormous. Even rain water from our roofs comes with a thick black, to tell you how the place is polluted.”
Also speaking, Charles Kpebara, a fisherman from Bayelsa State said due to pollution they had to tour long distance and for several days before catching fish.
News
N5m, N10m Zero-interest Loans: SheVentures Opens Applications For Women Entrepreneurs
First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has opened a new round of applications for its SheVentures proposition, offering zero-interest loans of up to ₦10 million to women entrepreneurs to ease access to working capital and support business growth.
The facility provides loans ranging from ₦500,000 to ₦5 million under a general category, and ₦5 million to ₦10 million for sector-specific businesses, with funding capped at up to 50% of an applicant’s average monthly turnover.
At the centre of the offering is a 0% interest rate, with all charges embedded in a transparent structure.
Repayment is structured over four or six months, allowing businesses to match obligations with their cash flow cycles.
READ ALSO:I’ve Been Blacklisted In Music Industry For 13 Years – Seun Kuti
Yemisi Edun, Managing Director and Chief Executive of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), said the initiative reflects a deliberate approach to inclusive growth.
“Inclusive growth requires access to capital and the right conditions for businesses to deploy that capital effectively.
“Women-led enterprises are critical to economic activity, yet they face structural barriers.
This intervention aims to help close that gap by providing financing that supports job creation, business expansion, and long-term sustainability for women entrepreneurs.”
“Access to affordable finance remains a major constraint for women entrepreneurs,” said Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo, Group Head, SheVentures and Impact Segments at First City Monument Bank (FCMB).
READ ALSO:My Beef With Wizkid Is For Life – Seun Kuti
“By removing the cost barrier and offering quick, flexible funding, this zero-interest loan is designed to safeguard existing jobs, enable businesses to invest in growth initiatives, and foster resilience in challenging economic conditions.”
Women-owned businesses account for a significant share of Nigeria’s small and medium-sized enterprises but continue to face high borrowing costs and limited access to credit.
Through these efforts, SheVentures tackles persistent financing gaps facing women-led businesses, combining targeted funding with broader support to empower women entrepreneurs, encourage business innovation, and enhance their ability to compete on a national scale.
Applications for the zero-interest loan are now open.Apply now.
News
Xenophobic Attacks: Oshiomhole Tells FG To Retaliate Against South African Companies In Nigeria
Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on the Federal Government to retaliate against South African businesses operating in Nigeria following the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.
Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Oshiomhole said the Federal Government should consider revoking the working license of South African owned companies such as MTN and DSTV.
He argued that Nigeria must respond firmly to what he described as persistent hostility against its citizens.
READ ALSO:South Africa To Investigate ‘Mystery’ Of Planeload Of Palestinians
“I am not going to shed tears. If you hit me, I hit you. I think it is appropriate in diplomacy. It is an economic struggle,” Oshiomhole said.
He argued that while some South Africans accuse Nigerians of taking their jobs, Nigerians should return home and take over employment opportunities created by major South African companies operating in the country, including MTN and DSTV.
“When we hit back, the President of South Africa will not only talk but will also go on his knees to recognise that Nigeria cannot be intimidated.
READ ALSO:South African Ambassador Found Dead Outside Paris Hotel
“We will not condone any life being lost. If a crime has been committed under the South African law they have the right to bring any such person to justice, but to kill our people as if we are helpless, we will not allow that,” Oshiomhole added.
DAILY POST reports that several Nigerians in South Africa have reportedly been attacked, and their businesses destroyed, in ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.
News
IGP Orders Officers Display Name Tag On Uniform, Gives Update On State Police
The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Tunji Disu, has ordered all police personnel to always have their name tags on their uniforms for easy identification.
Disu disclosed that only police personnel who are undercover are exempted from displaying their name tags.
Speaking on Tuesday, Disu said: “All police officers should have their name tags. All of us on the high table have our names apart from the undercover among us so if you look at all the Commissioners of Police we have our name tags, so it’s not our standard.
READ ALSO:
“All the Commissioners of Police are here and that is why we called this meeting, we have list of things like this that we will want to discuss with the Commissioners of Police, we have told them earlier and we will still let them know that every that happens within their area of jurisdiction falls under their control.”
On the issue of state police, the IGP said: “Since we got the signal that the Federal Government of Nigeria intend to establish State Police and since we are the federal police, we decided to take the bull by the horn and put down our own side of what we believe on how the state police should be run.
“A lot of things were taken into consideration, a lot of comparative analysis was done and it has been transmitted to the National Assembly.”
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