As protests rage over oil spills emanating from ExxonMobil’s pipelines, the Akwa Ibom State government has assured the people of Mkpanak group of villages in Ibeno local government area of plans to mitigate the impacts of the spills.
Calming the frayed nerves of the protesting local residents, who lamented that freequent crude oil spills have affected their major means of livelihoods, destroying waters, aquatic lives, farmlands and devastated the environment, the government assured of quick remediation.
The commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Chief Uno Etim Uno, sued for peace during a joint investigative Session (JIS) involving delegations from the Environment Ministry and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) who visited affected communities yesterday.
Chief Uno, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Mrs Iquo Abia, commended the people of Mkpanak, for following the due process in their protest based on their knowledge of relevant environmental laws which she observed, had informed their peaceful approach to the provocative situation.
The commissioner regretted the damaging effects of oil spills on the aquatic environment, its negative impacts on the economic wellbeing of the vast community, and sensitised the people on the regulatory capacity of his ministry.
He assured government’s commitment to healthy collaboration with NOSDRA, to mitigate the menacing impacts of the oil spills and ensure the protection of the host community.
Also speaking, the director general (DG) of NOSDRA, Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke, commended the state government for the environmental management strides, assuring that the federal government under President Bola Tinubu, was committed to addressing the critical concerns of environmental protection.
Engr. Woke appealed for demobilisation by the protesting youths, and warned that the federal government would effortlessly broker a fruitful partnership with other relevant bodies to regulate the operations of ExxonMobil, and also enforce the clean up of the oil spills only in an atmosphere of peace.
In his response, the village head of Mkpanak, Obong Denis Esenem, expressed gratitude to the joint investigation team for its commitment to peace and wellbeing of Mkpanak community.
He expressed faith in the capacity of the delegation to broker peaceful engagements between the host community and the management of ExxonMobil, as well as enforce the clean up exercise, while urging the youths to obey the voice of reason and embrace peace.
Responding, the youths’ president of Mkpanak, Comrade Isokobo Abakan, on behalf of the youths of Inuaeyen Ikot and Iwuokpon villages of Mkpanak, lamented the losses suffered by the people of the area as a result of the oil spills, which he noted, has been worsened by the insensitivity of the management of ExxonMobil, and called on government to come to their rescue.
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