Group urges FG to clean up oil-producing communities

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Akwa Ibom Oil Producing Community Development Network, has urged the Federal Government to include oil-producing communities in its effort to clean up Ogoni land.

The AKIPCON stated that if oil-producing communities were included in the Federal Government’s environmental cleaning initiative, Mobil Producing Nigeria Limited would not have used chemical dispersants to clean up the spillage that took place on April 22.
The group’s President General, Dr. Ufot Phenson, who said this on Saturday shortly after the group’s monthly congress in Uyo, urged President Mohammadu Buhari, not to allow the cleaning up of Ogoni land to be hijacked by political gladiators.

Phenson also advised the Federal Government to adopt every recommendation of the United Nations Environmental Programme for the benefit of all the affected citizens of Ogoni land and other parts of the Niger Delta region.

He further urged the President to alleviate the suffering of the fishermen, farmers, allied workers and oil-producing states in the Niger Delta region.

He said, “We want the inclusion of oil-producing states in the envisaged oil spills clean up of Ogoni land and to extend same to other parts of Niger Delta region who suffer from similar decades of neglect and devastation. We urge all the oil companies operating in the shores of the states whose activities are negatively impacting on our environment to pay compensations and other social and welfare packages to the victims of various forms of hydrocarbon pollution in the region.’’

Phenson also hailed the President for ordering the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme on the cleaning up of Ogoni land.