Environmentalist lauds move against pollution in Ogoniland

An Environmentalist and winner of the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa, Chima Williams, yesterday, lauded the Federal Government’s commitment in addressing the issues of environmental degradation, pollution and climate change in the country.

Williams, who made the commendation during a press conference organised by the Environmental Right Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in Benin City, said those working in the sector were not ignorant of the government’s positive steps towards addressing the environmental degradation.

He said: “ Some of the positive steps towards addressing environmental degradation, pollution and climate change are obvious to those working in the sector…”

“The clean-up of Ogoniland, though very slow, is a departure from the past, where nothing was done at all, even after the release of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report on the environment situation of Ogoniland, with recommendations spanning both short, middle and long- term remedial and restoration actions.

“Policies, laws governing the issues of petroleum extraction, climate change among others, such as the revised National Determined Contributions pursuant to the Paris Agreement, which include waste- related issues, the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the Climate Change Act 2021 among others, are among the positive signs…”

Williams, however, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently bring together all the parties, including all the extractive companies, Shell, ExxonMobil, Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Total Energy and the victims of their operations, relevant government agencies and authorities to discuss workable solutions to the environmental despoliations arising from their operational methodologies in the country.