Victor Efeizomor
5 November 2008
Asaba — Delta State government said yesterday that a Ukrainian vessel suspected to be carrying toxic wastes, has entered the country and is on its way to berth on its shores with the intent of dumping its hazardous substance.
Special Assistant to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Environment, Barrister Fred Majemite, who dropped the hint in Asaba, yesterday, during a chat with pressmen, said the information is contained in a letter from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), warning that the state should be on red alert.
"This is the letter we received from NEMA alerting us that a Ukrainian vessel, in connivance with some foreign companies, are looking for where to dump toxic waste in Nigeria and we suspect that they may come to Delta State, following the antecedents of the toxic waste dumping that took place in Koko few years ago, so we are on red alert.," he said.
Following this development, Majemite said plans had been concluded to set up a committee to monitor the environment and report any act of waste dumping, as well as check activities of oil companies operating in the state that are susceptible to oil spillage and report to relevant authorities.
He frowned at what he termed the serious environmental pollution and degradation by oil companies and individuals alike, observing that when there is a spill, usually the onus is on the company to alert the state government or agencies involved. He said." Once there are such spills, for reasons I do not understand, they dilly dally before letting us know. So most times, we get information through the communities that are involved.
"In time past, we've told them that they should maintain high standards in their operations. When there is a spill it takes longer time before they are able to clean up. When you meet them they tell you that the communities involved don't allow them, that they want them to carry out proper survey may be with regards to compensation.
"But again too, I'm sure that they can curtail it. Maybe before you carry out your clean, you can curtail it. There is what we call bumps, you can use them to curtail it so that it does not flow to other communities."
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When this issue was brought to fore the other day, I sounded an alarm bell in my commentary. There is no justifiable reason why a country as big as Nigeria should allow a Ukrainian toxic waste vessel to berth at any of Nigeria's port. These wastes could be nuclear materials which could take more than 500-years to break down. The responsibility of policing the coastal plains of Nigeria lies with either the Nigerian Navy or the Coast Guard, and not the individual State's obligation. These wastes carry carcinogens which would have an adverse effect on the population, as well as the ecological food chain, especially the fisheries for which the Niger Delta indegenes depend on for survival. The spread of cancer would be rampant throughout the region, and our medical establishments are ill-equiped to deal with the outbreak of cancerous diseases. Women will begin to develop cervical cancer and uterian cancer in numbers that could reach epidemic proportions. We may have to call on international organizations for assistance in setting up oncology departments throughout the region to help stem the tide of this impending catastrophe. This will thin population growth in the region, and could worsen the restiveness which has currently hampered fossil fuel exploration in the region. The spread of these toxins would not be limited to the Niger Delta alone. It would have far reaching implications in National Planning, and could reverse all the gains Nigeria has made in its attempt to reach the Millenium Development Goals for 2020. The Nigerian government must not allow any foreign vessel carrying toxic wastes in any form to berth on its shores. The implications of allowing this to happen are beyond any political or financial dividends that may be generated through this. If the government sits idly by and allows this to take place, it would therefore, become crystal clear that its interest in the Niger Delta is purely economic; the people's well-being notwithstanding. The Federal Government should therefore, immediately have both its naval fleet and the Coast Guard to be on alert to seize and arrest all those whose activities were instrumental in allowing this to occur, and to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.