Ijaw Group tasks Lokpobiri on environmental issues

Ijaw Elders Forum, Lagos, has enjoined the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, to address some of the environmental challenges facing the oil-producing communities in Bayelsa State.

In its congratulatory message signed by Chief Bukazi Etete and Efiye Bribena, Chairman and Secretary of the group respectively, the forum noted that the unwholesome practices perpetrated by oil companies in the Niger Delta, which have resulted in the devastation of the environment need to be checked, stressing that there was also the need for affirmative action in the area.

Describing his appointment as well deserved, the group expressed confidence that the minister would leverage his experience as a seasoned politician to regulate oil exploration activities in a way that would mitigate the suffering of the people of Ijaw land.

“The Ijaw Elders Forum, Lagos, warmly felicitates you on your appointment, Heineken Lokpobiri, as Minister of State for Petroleum. It is a well-deserved appointment. We are confident that you will perform creditably well in your new office with the wealth of experience you have gathered in politics over the years.”

Your experience spans over 24 years as Speaker, Bayelsa State House of Assembly; Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District; Minister of State for Agriculture, and now Minister of State for Petroleum.

“We pray that you will use your new office to address some of the challenges faced by the Ijaw people in the oil industry and the unwholesome practices perpetrated by most oil companies in the Niger Delta that have resulted in the despoliation of our environment,” it stated.