BSOEC is chaired by a number of renowned dignitaries in governance and international development arena, including Baroness Valerie Amos and former Ghanaian President, John Kuffuor.
The Guardian gathered that the report would be presented at the House of Lords, in London, to further draw global attention to devastating effects of oil pollution in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta region, in general.
BSOEC was set up in 2019 by former Governor Seriake Dickson, who is now Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, to conduct extensive investigation and research to establish the environmental, human and economic impact of oil pollution on the state.
The commission’s findings and far-reaching recommendations are in the report titled, ‘An Environmental Genocide: Counting the Human And Environmental Cost of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria,’ which seeks global attention and partnership to mitigate the effect of environmental degradation on people of the state.
The commission’s findings revealed: “Few places have suffered more than Bayelsa, which sits at the heart of the Niger Delta. Being the place where Nigeria’s first commercial oil well was discovered, Bayelsa accounts for about 18 to 20 per cent of Nigeria’s oil production.
“While the state accounts for slightly over one per cent of Nigeria’s total population, it is estimated to have suffered over a quarter of total recorded instances of oil pollution.”
Among those to grace the event are the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Amb. Sarafadeen Isola, renowned environmentalist and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom in Bayelsa, King Bubaraye Dakolo, and former Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu.
