MARINE POLLUTION: Institute Worries Over Destruction Of Local Refineries In Niger Delta Region

The Nigerian Institute of Shipping (NIS) has attributed the mass destruction of local refineries in Niger Delta creeks by law enforcement agencies as ruination to marine pollution in the south south region of the country.

The foremost manpower development institute also advocated for adequate policing of the waterways in protecting the ecosystem against any form of pollution that can affect and destroy human and aquatic lives in the region.

Registrar of NIS, Comrade Chima Sampson in an exclusive chat as part of the ” World Ocean Day “commerotation , expressed concerns over failure on the side of government agencies to effectively protect the waterways of the country from any form of man made disaster to aquatic creatures.

The Registrar alleged that some of the oil exploration firms also contributed to marine pollution in region , even as he called on the relevant authorities to keep close watch on their facilities .

Sampson stated that the pollution and oil spillage by some multinationals and destruction of the locally made refineries in the sub region are under reported by the media adding that low reportage to incident of crude oil pollution on the waters had negative impact on the waters.

According to him, Nigeria plays a key role in maritime activities globally, thus her ocean resources must be kept safe, clean and secured.

He also lamented that ‘We have a lot of unreported incident about marine pollution in the Niger Delta region which for me is quite unfortunate.

“That is why government should step up its efforts to combat marine pollution in that region, mostly of as it concerns exploration in the region and destruction of refineries.

“Government authorities destroy these local refineries and in turn most of oil flow back to the waters which affects fishing and other aquatic lives. I will advise the government to stop this destruction of the local refineries and map out strategies to preserve seized refineries instead of outright destruction.”

He also called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)to engage law enforcement agencies to tackle destruction of the local refineries in order to safeguard the waters .

“NIMASA and NPA should also step up their obligations and intervene to address the issue of crude oil destruction along the Niger Delta coast because they both a say to these many challenges”,he said.