News

Life Expectancy In N’Delta Reduced To 41 By Oil Exploration, Environmental Activist Raises Alarm

Published

3 months ago

February 16, 2024

Editor

…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.

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.”

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

Rivers Crisis: Pro-Fubara Assembly To Screen Commissioner-nominee On Monday

Published

6 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Editor

The Rivers State House of Assembly members loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and led by factional Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, have invited a Commissioner-nominee, Danagogo Iboroma, for screening and confirmation as a member of the state executive.

Iboroma may be pencilled in to replace Zaccaeus Adangor, who recently resigned as the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

Adangor’s resignation came after he rejected his deployment to the State Ministry of Special Duties (Governor’s Office) by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The nominees’ invitation was contained in a letter signed by the factional Clerk, Dr. G.M. Gillis-West, who asked Iboroma to appear before the House on Monday by 10 am and sent to newsmen.

The factional clerk directed Iboroma, to appear at the Hallowed Chamber, Rivers State House of Assembly, Auditorium, Admin Block, Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt.

The letter read, “The Rivers State House of Assembly hereby invites the following Commissioner-nominee for screening and confirmation as a member of the Rivers State Executive Council. Danagogo I Iboroma, SAN.

“Date: Monday, 13th May 2024. Time 10 am. Venue: Hallowed Chamber, Rivers State House of Assembly Auditorium, Admin Block, Government House, Port Harcourt.

“The nominee is to come along with 10 sets of his Curriculum Vitae, photocopies of his credentials and the original.”

News

Obasanjo To Adeleke: Keep The Dancing Spirit, Deliver On Infrastructure

Published

7 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Editor

Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to continue his dancing spirit while prioritising the delivery of crucial infrastructure projects in the state.

Obasanjo, who spoke at the inauguration of a VIP lodge, an edifice located within the premises of Osun State Government House in Osogbo, recalled a private conversation he had with Adeleke when he admonished him not to stop dancing, but to work very hard to improve the lives of the residents of the state.

The former president, who declared himself as Adeleke’s dancing partner, also challenged the governor to unite the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, implement good initiatives that would affect people positively and ensure proper documentation of all his achievements as governor.

Speaking in a mixture of Yoruba and English, Obasanjo said, “Some people once despise you, calling you a mere dancer. In reply, I told them that it is only happy people that used to dance. From now on, you are my dancing partner.

“What I have heard and seen since three days that I have been here If anyone is doubting you, bring the person to your state to see for himself or herself. If you remember at one time, I called you on the phone and I said don’t stop dancing but I added that, as you are dancing, ensure you are working.

“If I tell you that I don’t know what happened before you get to the government, I will be telling a lie. But you did something last week Sunday that I appreciated. You called the leaders of your party together. I am happy that you called them and brought them together. Senator Olu Alabi is here, ex-governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola is here and Fatai Akinbade too.

“You should bring everyone on board. That is the best thing to do. I have talked to two out of three of them. It is a good move which is not only good for your party but for the state and the country. You said government is a continuum. You also said that you are working on all abandoned projects, may God crown your efforts.”

He added that he is happy that Adelek is taking project deliveries one after the other taking them.

He urged the governor to be honest with his conscience, with the people and with God.

“You have to be a man of character,” Obasanjo said.

Speaking earlier, Adeleke said his administration has completed some major capital projects, while work was also progressing on many others captured under his infrastructure plan.

According to him, the VIP Lodge would enable his administration to minimise the cost of hosting important personalities visiting the state, adding that with the completion of the project, a major milestone in cost efficiency has been achieved.

Adeleke, nicknamed the dancing governor, took the oath of office as the 6th elected governor of Osun State on Sunday, November 27, 2022, following in the political trajectory of his late elder brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, who was the first elected governor of the state.
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News

Nigeria Medical Association Gets New President

Published

8 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Editor

A professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bala Audu, has been elected as the new President of the Nigeria Medical Association.

The election took place during the annual delegates meeting held in Calabar, Cross Rivers state.

Audu obtained a degree in Medicine from the University of Maiduguri in 1988 and a Master’s degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the University of London in 1994.

He’s also a Fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1997.

In 2008, he obtained a hospital administration and health services certificate from the National Institute of Public Health, Japan.

Before his election, Audu served as the Provost of the College of Medical Sciences at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, in 2017 and later as Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, in Bauchi state.

Audu is recognized for his contributions to the field of medicine, having trained many young obstetric doctors and conducted numerous research works on cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment.

Other leaders elected during the meeting include Benjamin Olowojebutu as Vice President, Usha Anenga as Vice President 2, Ben Egbo as Secretary-General, Wale Lasisi as the Assistant Secretary-General, Celestine Ugwoke as Treasurer, Harrison Omokhua as Financial Secretary, and Manir Bature as the National Publicity Secretary.

The NMA has announced that the new leaders were selected from NMA branches across the country and will lead the association’s activities from 2024 to 2026, after which another leadership cycle will emerge.