CSOs urge Nigeria to tackle oil pollution

A coalition of Civil Societies, Publish What You Pay (PWYP), has called on the Nigerian Government to resolve the oil pollution in the Niger Delta, its attendant environmental impacts and climate disasters.

The National Coordinator of  (PWYP), Mr Taiwo Otitolaye, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.

According to Otitolaye, It is time for the Nigerian government to unmask the long years of inefficiency and low capacity to resolve the oil pollution in the Niger Delta, its attendant environmental impacts and climate disasters.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PWYP is a coalition of civil societies that is championing transparency and accountability in the extractive industry.

It has championed this through the scrutiny of revenue payments and receipts, tracking and accessibility to such records and publicity as the case may be.

PWYP National coordinator said, “What is urgently needed is stoppage of the spills, mitigation, restitution and adequate compensation to the communities, and the environment.

“This is another exposure of lily-livered politicians and leadership camouflaging as representatives of the people.

“The recently enacted Petroleum Industry’s Act (PIA) should not be another idle roll call register, it must be effectively used to regulate irregularities in the oil and gas sector.

“Political will must not only be exercised to aggravate the sufferings of the citizenry through petroleum price increases without benefits and corresponding development,” he said.