By Obiabin Onukwugha
An environmental advocacy body, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), has condemned the continued engagement of youths in the Niger Delta region in illegal bunkering activities, which has led to the death of many.
This is as the group also blamed the federal government for its failure to grant licenses to artesinal refiners as a way of checkmating the illegal business.
Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface made the condemnation while reacting to a fire incident that claimed the lives of no fewer than 18 persons, including a pregnant woman in Rumucholu village, Ibaa community of Emohua local government area of Rivers State, recently.
It was gathered that the explosion occured when suspected illegal oil bunkerers attempted to set up an illegal refinery site at the said location, to escape clamp down from security operatives.
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Reacting, Fyneface said: “The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) condemns the continuous engagement in artisanal crude oil refining activities in some communities across the Niger Delta despite intense campaigns and advocacy against crude oil theft, artisanal refining, and pollution.
“If the intense campaigns against pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and artisanal refining mounted by the organizations and other stakeholders, including the state and federal government, were adhered to, deaths of this nature would have been avoided.”
He also blamed the federal government for its failure to take provide alternative source of livelihood to youths involved in the illegal business.
“If the federal government had issued the 18 modular refinery licenses approved by the former President Buhari administration and established the Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI), which modernizes, standardizes, legalizes, and integrates artisanal crude oil refining into the nation’s economy, among others, as alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal crude oil refiners in the Niger Delta, these deaths would have been avoided.
“The organization thus calls on artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta to stop acts of crude oil theft and artisanal refineries to avoid unnecessary deaths of this nature while calling on the federal government to immediately approve measures that provide alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners in Niger Delta, Nigeria”, he stated.
Meanwhile the Rivers State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Basil Igwebueze, has confirmed that a pregnant woman, the son of the illegal refinery owner and an about-to-wed lady were among victims of the fire that engulfed the illegal refinery at Ibaa community in Emohua Local Government Area.
