Nigeria Lauches $1 Billion Clean up of Oil spillage

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Nigeria Lauches $1 Billion Clean up of Oil spillage
by \| 13-06-2016 23:03 0
It was a remarkable and memorable day for the people of Ogoni in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The ray of hope for a better environment was kindled again for the inhabitants of the oil rich community, after about 3 decades of pollution and severe environmental degradation due to oil spillage which has hampered the soil, water and aquatic lives and also denied them access to potable water and arable land. The soil is no longer suitable for agriculture and the water which is their main source of livelihood through fishing has been left desolate and inhabitable for aquatic lives. The federal government of Nigeria on the 2^nd of June flagged off the long awaited clean-up of the land. The $1 Billion project was flagged off by the President of Nigeria and the minister of environment in a grand style. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, the cleanup of the land will take about 30yeas to complete. The report further pointed out that a combination of approaches will be considered, ranging from active intervention for cleaning the top soil and replanting mangrove to passive monitoring of natural regeneration for the clean-up. The UNEP expressed the optimism that if the recommendations contained in its report could be implemented, they would have an immediate and positive impact on Ogoniland. According to the report, ?The Ogoni people live with this pollution every minute of every day, 365 days a year. Since average life expectancy in Nigeria is less than 50 years, it is a fair assumption that most members of the current Ogoniland community have lived with chronic oil pollution throughout their lives. ?Children born in Ogoniland soon sense oil pollution as the odour of hydrocarbons pervades the air day in, day out. Oil continues to spill from periodic pipeline fractures and the illegal practice of artisanal refining, contaminating creeks and soil, staining and killing vegetation and seeping metres deep into ground, polluting water tables. ?Smoke from artisanal refining is a daily presence and fire close to inhabited areas is a constant threat from pools of oil which gather after a spill due to corrosion or bunkering or where artisanal refining of crude oil takes place,? the report said. It further read: ?Due to the wide extent of contamination in Ogoniland and nearby areas, and the varying degrees of degradation, there will not be one single clean-up technique appropriate for the entire area.? ?A combination of approaches will therefore need to be considered, ranging from active intervention for cleaning the top soil and replanting mangrove to passive monitoring of natural regeneration,? the report stated. The community is also encouraged to take a pro-active stand against theft and refining and also allow access to clean up spills

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12 Comments

says :
Thanks for sharing this good news Olamide! But still, how tragic it is for the people living there, stuck in the center of pollution, waiting for things to get better. I hope not only the government but many others in the country also sign up for aid. THanks for sharing!
Posted 20-06-2016 15:33

says :
@David Pilapil, I am sure the government has also considered other sectors in ensuring the cleanup, this also include being in close dialogue with traditional rulers of the region to curb the activities of youth vandalism to reduce spillage.
Posted 18-06-2016 06:22

says :
Yes they're really trying, no one ever thought Ogoni oil spillage would be clean-up. Now the environment is clean and so many activities is....
Posted 16-06-2016 05:22

says :
Olamide, it is a great news to hear the government has made decision to clean up the oil spillage. My country once had a similar incident, and though there were a lot of volunteers and help from the government, it took a long time to recover. With the government's full support, I hope the region could come back to its original state. Thanks for sharing and have a great day!
Posted 15-06-2016 16:04

says :
I just suddenly became curious Olamide, you mentioned both cleaning the top soil and planting mangrove species. Cleaning the top soil would address the effect of oil spill on our land resources while planting mangrove species are only commonly used as a secondary system of cleaning the bodies of water, due to the fact that it really takes a long time. So I'm curious if aside from these, does the government implement any other schemes of addressing the problem since such concern is no longer new and several methods have already been established by other countries which can greatly served as an example?
Posted 14-06-2016 22:41

says :
Wow! It was so good to know that the government have been taking such initiative in addressing such environmental concern, which only proves that there's no more time to slack off and each and everyone of us, both private and public sectors, should start taking actions in combating climate change.
Posted 14-06-2016 22:36

says :
great to hear that the government is taking steps for such matter .
thanks for reporting .
Posted 14-06-2016 22:25

says :
Nice to hear this. Corporations and organizations should be responsible for their own actions. If they are responsible for harming the environment through oil spillage and such activities then they are held accountable for its negative impacts. It was a nice report.
Posted 14-06-2016 15:27

Adam Zhou says :
I never knew the severity of the situation and how such oil spills can induce a decrease in life expectancy. It's great, though, how at the same time, cleaning up the oil spill not only targets the environmental aspects, but also social, economic, and the wellbeing (as of the sustainability compass). Thank you for the report!
Posted 14-06-2016 07:20

says :
Yes @Arushi its been over three decades of oil spilling on the land, the adverse effect is very severe. @John Paul, the oil stakeholders really needs to ensure it. Thank you all for your wonderful comments.
Posted 14-06-2016 05:12

Arushi Madan says :
It is a great news. It will take 30 years for the clean up -My God, it shows the extent of pollution/spill in the area. The environmental restoration of Ogoniland seems to be the world's most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise. I am sure that the clean-up will boost socio-economic activities in the ogoniland devastated through years of oil spillage.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted 14-06-2016 02:50