By Obiabin Onukwugha
Environmental body, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), emphasised the importance of community involvement in environment monitoring and reporting defense.
This comes as the body organised a one-day Capacity Building training session for fishermen and women in Okrika and Ogu/Bolo local government areas of Rivers State.
During the training, which took place at the Koniju Town Hall, Okrika on Thursday, the participants drawn from 11 communities across the two local government areas, were exposed to techniques and the need for effective environment monitoring and reporting. Practical sessions were also held on environment monitoring and reporting, integration, advocacy and responsibility where participants were taught different indicators that they should look out for in identifying pollution.
The aim is to build capacity on community solidarity, integration and responsibility.
Speaking, HOMEF Lead, Fossil Politics, Stephen Oduware, emphasised that consciousness and will, are important in environment monitoring.
“Today we came to Okrika, about 11 communities from the Okrika axis, including Ogu/Bolo; to have a capacity sharing and building workshop on environmental monitoring, community solidarity, community integration and responsibility and practically, and to build that community-centred network and to advocate for justice and the good life that they so yearn for.
“We are asking for three things; that the rights of the communities needs to be recognized, rights of the community people needs to be protected and ultimately they need to be supported. This community needs to thrive again. Gas flaring needs to stop, pollution needs to stop, clean up and remediation needs to take place and reparation needs to happen to cover for the losses that these community people have experienced and have continued to experience.
“We know that the community on one hand is sandwiched by the impact of climate change, sea level rise, coastal erosion and all of that, and then on the other hand, the impact of oil spills in the communities. That alone is a huge challenge and the root to recovery is actually problematic because everyday things are getting more difficult because the communities are not being heard, in spite of the impact that they are facing.
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“It is not only about monitoring, we have to learn to report and advocate for what we want as community people. Community people deserve all the best that they can be. They deserve a healthy environment, they deserve an environment free from pollution and they deserve to have good health,” he stated.
He, charged the participants to utilize the knowledge gained and also share it with other community people so as to adequately monitor their environment and advocate for the needed change.
Also, Programme Manager for Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN; Kentebe Ebiaridor, while speaking on Community Mobilisation and Solidarity”, emphasised on the importance of oneness to form a common front.
“The most important thing about all of these is that, how communities can leverage on solidarity to achieve things for themselves and most especially for their development,” he stated.
Some of the participants interviewed by NatureNews thanked HOMEF for the training, which they said has enlightened them.
A community stakeholder, Bakaye Tamunosiki Donald and Madam Taribo Lawrence, a septuagenarian, respectively, lamented the impact of environmental pollution on their source of livelihood, which is primarily fishing.
“We have suffered greatly. I come from a fisherman’s family, my grand parents and great grand parents were great fishermen but because of these environmental problems we have lost most of our fishing settlements. For instance I’m going to tell you one at Amgbonai, it is called Owugono, and there is another one before Bonny we call it Oloba and Ofenekiri and we have Dutch Island here.
“That place used to be about 200 metres above sea level. The waves that are coming from the sea tankers and vessels coming to berth at the NNPC jetty over here are eating that place up. Because of this impact of environmental pollution and flooding, a lot of houses around the community are being flooded”, said Donald.
On her part, Madam Lawrence called for government assistance as she has lost her fishing nets to pollution. Madam Lawrence, who spoke in ‘broken English’ said: “I fish on crayfish but right now I no longer catch enough of them because of the pollution. I only manage the little I have because I am old. I am calling on the government to provide us with nets. And that is why I am thanking this people (HOMEF) too,, because now when I see what is wrong I will say it”
