Despite repeated assurances by government that the deadly gas flaring in parts of the Niger Delta region would soon be a thing of the past, as efforts are being made to turn the gas into export products, a royal father in Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area has expressed dismay over what he called failed promises, saying time has come for action.
Eze (Prince) Uche Umejuru, the Eze Okwuni Onukaoha of Idu Ogba who stated this when he received a team of journalists from Al Jazeera TV at his palace in Idu Ogba Community at the weekend, urged government to quit rhetoric and match words with action.
He regretted that his community has been living in the shadows of three gas flare points for close to five decades, noting that the flares have damaged their lives and livelihood.
“To think that we have a Petroleum Industries Bill that are yet to be passed into law for 20 years is nothing but a sad commentary.
“There are soots everywhere. Our roofs don’t last. Our crops
cannot generate properly. No good water.
“The aquatic lives have moved because of the pipes crossing the rivers.
“For us to get fish, we have to paddle more than ten miles. This is appalling”, he moaned.
He told the foreign journalists that he understood an estimated 23million cubic meters of gas is being flared every day from 174 points, the ones in Idu community inclusive, costing Nigeria about 1billion dollars annually.
The youthful king said: “The government have often said that the flares is a waste and if stopped, could add 3000 megawatts of electricity in a country that is struggling to generate 4000 megawatts”.
National Network gathered that because of the difficulty of enforcing a total ban, government, in 2019, launched an ambitious project to increase domestic use of gas and export.
This it hopes, will cut the waste and save lives and the environment.
Eze Umejuru said his community is hoping and praying for the PIB to be passed into law to boost utilization and help minimize flaring. Regrettably, until then, Idu Ogba would have to live with the damage caused by flaring.
