FG Committed To Cleaning-Up Niger-Delta Environs Affected By Oil Spillage

President Mohammadu Buhari

President Mohammadu Buhari has reiterated on the determination of his administration to implement in full all the recommendations of the United Nations Environmental Programmes outlined towards addressing the neglects on Ogoniland and other parts of the Niger-Delta which over the years had terribly suffered through crude oil spillage in the area.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu who stated this however quoted President Buhari on the statement which he said the President made during his 3-day State visit to Nairobi, in Kenya.

According to him, the present administration is committed to complying with the recommendations outlined in view of cleaning-up the mess caused by then oil spillage in the area.

“When I came into office on May 29, 2015, one of the first tasks I carried out was to authorize the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme for the clean-up of Ogoni land.

 

The devastation caused by oil spillage has destroyed many lives and livelihoods and is clearly one of the reasons why many people in that region lost faith in the government and resorted to many criminal activities we are seeing in the region today.

The action our government took to implement UNEP’s recommendations has given the indigenes of the region hope that there are better days ahead.

Let me, therefore, express appreciation on behalf of the government of Nigeria to UNEP and other development partners for their cooperation and support on this very delicate matter and also request for their continued support as we implement the recommendations and transform the fortunes of the region,” Buhari stated.  

It would be recalled that following unbearable devastation by oil spillage in the Niger-Deltan areas as well as neglect by the earlier governments, the citizens from the area had severally agitated for resource control to enable all regions benefit adequately from the resources in their respective domains. On account of this, the federal government under the late President Shehu Musa Yar’Aradua amidst militancy which threatened virtually economic activities in the nation granted amnesty and initiated other incentives particularly to the youths.