Connect with us

News

‘Na Die We Dey’ – Gelegele Indigenes Lament Gas Flare, Environmental Pollution

Published

on

Demand Withdrawal Of Operational Licence Of Oil Company

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

The indigenes of Gelegele in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, on Friday decried the environmental pollution caused by operation of an oil company in their communities and called for the immediate withdrawal of operational licence of the company.

INFO DAILY reports that a gas flare stack of the oil company is sited in the heart of the community thereby causing untold heat and other health hazards to the indigenes in the community.

Advertisement

Speaking at a-day Capacity Building Workshop organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, in the community, the indigenes who are mostly farmers and fishermen/fisherwomen, lamented that due to operation of the oil company both their lands and rivers have been polluted.

An indigene and Chairman, Host Communities Network of Nigeria, Prince Preye Pawuru, said operation of the oil company is causing a lot to the indigenes including untimely death, hunger, continuous crude oil spill to their rivers and lands.

READ ALSO: HOMEF Trains Women On Climate Change Adaptation

Advertisement

He said: “The fact is that, the oil company operating here is actually causing our suffering and untimely death. In fact, it is almost ending the lifespan of this community. We cannot just survive again with the oil company operating in our community. The oil company should leave us and go finally. This is our demand. The flare is located at the heart of the community, and this is causing a lot to our health.”

He added: “If someone falls sick, we don’t have access road to take the person to the city. No social infrastructure. We are predominantly fishermen and farmers but no more fishes in the river because of the pollution. There is a continuous spill of crude oil into the river. The environment is destroyed. We don’t have any means of survival yet the company is smiling home with billions of dollars while leaving the community in penury. The company and government take away the benefits while the community bears the risk. So, we are saying we are tied. The company should go.”

He said engagements with relevant authorities to address the situation have not yielded results.

Advertisement

On her part, Mrs. Justina Kororo, woman leader, Gelegele community, who spoke in Pidgin English said: “This is our community. We have no where to go. This fire alone Na die, na die we dey. E dey affect our eyes. We never old reach anywhere we no fit read Bible again; we no fit read from our phones.”

READ ALSO: HOMEF Charges Speedy Clean Up Of Ogoniland, N’Delta

Also, Mrs. Victoria Peter said: “I am a fisherwoman. Before now, when we go to the river, we used to catch enough fishes even for sale and use the money to buy other food items. But now even crayfish you can’t catch. We are dying of hunger. No light, no portable water. We no fit sleep inside our house because of the heat. Na outside we dey stay. I want make government help us.”

Advertisement

Another indegene from the community who also spoke in Pidgin said: “Other communities wey get this kind of oil company dey enjoy. Dem dey help the women for the town. dem dey help the men for the town. But here in Gelegele, nothing like that. Our road is bad.”

Also lending his voice, Mr. Goday Kororo who said he worked in the oil company for 25 years before retiring said: “This fire for this place dey make us dey quick old. E no dey off. E don dey here since 1979. In The night, you must come out and baff, if not you cannot sleep. Our windows go dey shake because of the oil company operation and noise. Many times, pollution dey happen for our river, no fish. We are suffering. We wey near water Na ice-fish dey buy for N3000, N4000. Because no road, we dey pay high from Benin to here. “

Earlier, HOMEF Programmes Manager and Coordinator, FishNet Alliance, Stephen Oduware, said they were in the community to join their voices for the call for a stop to gas flaring and other oil exploration activities in the community, and also to demand environmental justice and compensation for the people.

Advertisement

READ ALSO: World Earth Day: HOMEF Wants The Earth More Protected

“Gelegele is one of the communities that is highly impacted by oil exploration. There is an oil company here that sites its gas flaring stack right in the heart of the community. There are a lot of issues with this. Number one, on the environment, on the people and even on their well-being and livelihoods. The people are living corpses due to the operation. The temperature here is far higher than normal.

“So, we are calling for a stop to this environmental injustice in Gelegele. Justice must take its course. We are calling for a restoration and remediation of the environment in Gelegele. And compensation must be paid to the people. So we are here to show that solidarity,” he said.

Advertisement

 

 

Advertisement

News

Published

on

The lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking in an interview on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television monitored by DAILY POST on Monday, Oshiomhole alleged that Atiku, who cannot fix his party, cannot fix Nigeria’s problems.

His comment comes after Atiku officially joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:

Atiku formally joined the ADC, the coalition-backed party, on Monday ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reacting, Oshiomhole said, “If Atiku as a former vice president under PDP could not fix PDP, he could not reconstruct it, he could not provide leadership and use his influence which he had built, how can you lay claim to fix Nigeria.

Advertisement

“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo gave Atiku a lot of leverage, so much power, yet he couldn’t use it to fix the PDP,” Oshiomhole said.

Continue Reading

News

Gov Mohammed Flags Off Construction Of 203.47-kilometre Rural Roads

Published

on

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has flagged off the construction of 203.47-kilometre rural roads in the state.

Speaking during the flagging off of the roads in Gamawa Local Government Area of the state on Monday, Mohammed said the road construction would be carried out with the Federal Government intervention under its Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Programme (RAAMP).

According to him, the roads represented more than physical infrastructure but symbolises his administration’s vision of Bauchi state where no community was left behind, where development was fair and balanced and driven by the needs of the people with equity and justice.

Advertisement

We are grateful to the federal government, we are grateful to the World Bank and all the development partners.

READ ALSO:Bauchi Govt Procures 13 Tuberculosis X-ray Machines Worth $1.9m

“Roads are the architect of opportunities. They connect farmers to markets, women to healthcare, children to schools, security agencies to vulnerable communities and rural economy to national prosperity.

Advertisement

“For decades, many rural communities in Bauchi have suffered neglect. Roads became impassable during rainy seasons, farmers lost produce, students struggled to reach schools and sick people were unable to get timely medical attention,” he said.

Mohammed, who said that the days of neglect of the rural communities were over, added that RAAMP remained a key pillar for his transformative agenda and aligned with his Bauchi project 1&2.

He said RAAMP also aligned with the Bauchi Agricultural modernisation, inclusive development, improved governance, youth empowerment, poverty reduction and sustainable infrastructure.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Bauchi Board Laments Low Teacher Turnouts In Training Exercise

According to him, RAAMP was not just about roads, it’s about connecting communities, boosting the rural economy and laying the foundation of lasting prosperity.

He highlighted the roads to include 26.8 kilometers Mararaba Liman Katagum-Boli-Kafinmawa-Mararaba Dajin roads, 14.75km Dargazu- Gambaki-Chinade-Gangai road, 28km Gamawa – Sakwa road.

Advertisement

Others included; 14.45km Misau- Beti- Maladunba roads, 6.6km Giade – Tagwaye road, 6.68km Yana-Fago road, 6.71km Mararraban Dajin- Dajin road, 36.65km Dott-Dado- Baraza road, 24km Lanzai-Papa road.

He further explained that the road construction also included 4.91km Gadar Maiwa- Zakara road, 25km Dagu-Ningi road, 8.86km Nabordo – Gadan Doka.

READ ALSO:Bauchi Begins Production Of Exercise Books, Chalks For Schools

Advertisement

The governor called on traditional rulers to support contractors and remained vigilant and provide intelligence on security and safety.

Also speaking, Engr. Aminu Mohammed, the National Coordinator (RAAMP)
Coordinator said that the state has disbursed over N6 billion in counterpart funding to RAAMP, making it one of the top performing states.

These roads will open critical agricultural corridors, reduce travel time and post harvest losses, improve access to markets, schools and healthcare.

Advertisement

“It will also enhance rural productivity and inclusion, stimulate economic activities across all the three senatorial zones in the state,” he said.

He called on the contractors to deliver the project with the highest standard of engineering professionalism and compliance with environmental and social safeguard.

The Coordinator also called on the communities to take ownership of the roads and take care of and protect them.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican Reggae Legend, Cultural Icon, Is Dead

Published

on

Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican singer and actor whose music helped bring reggae to a global audience, has died at the age of 81.

His wife, Latifa Chambers, shared the news on Instagram, saying: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia. I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him.

“To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career … Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. The message was also signed by their children, Lilty and Aken.

Advertisement

Cliff rose to international fame with hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want, I Can See Clearly Now, and Wonderful World, Beautiful People. His lead role in the 1972 film The Harder They Come further cemented his place in Jamaican cultural history and introduced reggae to wider audiences, particularly in the United States.

READ ALSO:UN Backs Global Carbon Pricing Scheme For Shipping Industry

He was one of only a few musicians, alongside Bob Marley, to receive the Jamaican Order of Merit.

Advertisement

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness paid tribute, calling him “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world … Jimmy Cliff told our story with honesty and soul. His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect that Jamaican culture enjoys today.”

Born in Saint James, Jamaica, in 1944, Cliff began his career in the early 1960s in Kingston, working with producer Leslie Kong. After early local success, he gained international attention through Island Records and by performing to diverse audiences in London. Cliff’s music often blended upbeat rhythms with socially conscious lyrics, addressing topics from war to social justice.

READ ALSO:Why We Arrested Bobrisky – Immigration Service

Advertisement

In addition to his music, Cliff acted in several films, toured widely, and collaborated with artists including the Rolling Stones, Sting, and Wyclef Jean. His most recent album, Refugees (2022), won a Grammy for best reggae album, marking one of two wins from seven nominations over his career.

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae legend, cultural icon, leaves behind a legacy of music, film, and cultural influence that shaped both Jamaica and the world.

(The Guardian UK)

Advertisement

 

Continue Reading

Trending