Environmental pollution in Nigeria has continued to be a major concern with diverse environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution, oil spillage, deforestation, desertification, erosion, and flooding (due to inadequate drainage systems) caused mostly by anthropogenic activities.
Speaking recently at a stakeholders meeting organised by Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF) and Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in Benin City, Edo State, experts expressed concerns over environmental pollution owing to oil spillage in oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta region.
Speaking during the one-day Niger-Delta Legal and Strategy meeting for fishermen, Chima Williams, Executive Director, ERA/FoEN, noted that enough is not being done to mitigate impact of oil pollution in Nigeria.
He said oil spill could have a devastating effect on the environment, particularly, the ecosystem, which, he noted, could change temporarily because of the chemical components of spilled oil that are toxic to the environment.
President, Federation of Women Lawyers, Edo State (FIDA), Violet Olumense, said the campaign against environmental pollution is not easy, but commendable.
Olumense advocated right to safe environment and healthy living, just as she stressed the need for adequate legislation and synergy among stakeholders towards achieving safer environment.
She added that tackling pollution in oil producing communities should be a priority for state and federal governments and international oil companies.
Olumense noted that government must, as a matter of necessity, put safety measures in place to ensure minimal effects of oil spills across communities.
