The Akwa Ibom Oil Producing Community Development Network has appealed to the newly appointed Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke, to address longstanding issues related to environmental remediation and damage assessment in Akwa Ibom State.
Dr. Phenson Ufot, President General of the group, made this appeal in a statement issued in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday. Congratulating the new DG on his appointment, Ufot urged him to focus on protecting the environment from degradation caused by oil and gas companies.
“The public expectations of your office include specific attention to the protection of the Niger Delta environment in particular, and Nigeria in general, from the devastation brought by incessant oil spills and unmindful economic activities by oil and gas companies,” Ufot stated.
He emphasized the importance of using the full authority of NOSDRA to safeguard the environment, which he described as a heritage vital for the well-being and development of the citizenry. Ufot expressed hope that the new DG would implement the core mandates of NOSDRA, including timely oil spill recovery, clean-up, remediation, and damage assessment, which have previously been neglected in Akwa Ibom State.
“It’s our hope that you will implement the core mandate of your agency including timely oil spill recovery, clean-up, remediation, and damage assessment, which hitherto had been denied Akwa Ibom State, thereby hindering the payment of compensation to the victims of hydrocarbon pollution in the oil-producing communities of the state,” Ufot added.
