Simon Utebor, Yenagoa
The paramount ruler of Ekpetiama community in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, King Bubaraye Dakolo, has blamed weak regulatory framework for the widespread pollution of the Niger Delta environment.
Dakolo, who spoke in his palace on Saturday during an advocacy visit by environmental rights group, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, also condemned the influx of foreign trawlers into the region.
The monarch noted that it was regrettable that the multinational oil firms operating in the region complied with environmental procedures in their home countries but flouted such rules in Nigeria.
Dakolo said, “We are all witnesses to recent occurrences in the gulf of Mexico and the steps taken to remediate the environment and compensate the victims but the same companies cannot do the same here because of weak regulation.
“There is apparent laxity in the regulation of the oil sector that transnational companies are exploiting to the detriment of our environment. In their home countries, they dare not spill a single barrel because they know the implications.
“But the story is different in Nigeria and in the Niger Delta. The government needs to urgently strengthen the regulators and equip them to play their roles and protect the ecosystem.”
The monarch also condemned the influx of foreign fishing trawlers into Nigeria’s territorial waters, saying the development had deprived the artisanal fishermen of livelihood despite the maritime rules that restrained trawlers from fishing near the coastlines.
He noted that the development was a recipe for crisis, insisting that economic deprivation was like genocide.
Dakolo said, “The law restrains trawlers to five nautical miles but they encroach and threaten the fishermen with armed escorts on board.
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