Nigeria: Oil Communities Take Charge Of Security

Take Charge Of Your Internal Security, Minister Tells Oil Communities

NIGERIA's Environment Minister, Mr. John Odey, has charged oil-bearing communities of the Niger Delta to take control of their internal security.

AkanimoReports said the minister spoke just as the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, also charged communities to take advantage of the prevailing peace in the state to develop their local economies so as to be self reliant.

Acording to Mr. Odey, the amnesty programme to repentant militants in the volatile oil and gas region, was ''a collaborative programme between the Federal Government, states and the local communities'', stressing that the communities should be able to take care of their own internal security.

The minister pointed out that the impact of oil pollution in the Niger Delta was quite devastating. While at an impacted site at Ebubu in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers state, said solution must be sought to end the problem of bunkering before carrying out any remediation so as to solve the problems once and for all.

The Environment Minister and GovenoAmaechi spoke at an interview with newsmen shortly after inspecting some oil impacted sites at Ebubu with officials of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).

Governor Amaechi noted that with the prevailing peace in the state, economies of some of the communities have started growing again as people are no longer hiding in their houses, but are able to come out to do their daily micro bu said progress was being made, but added that the programme is not conclusive yet until the people begins to see post amnesty projects.

Governor Amaechi also inspected the Model Secondary School, Ebubu – Eleme, where he directed that the fence demarcating the staff quarters be pulled down to have better aesthetic view of the environment.

Earlier the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP) led by Mr. Mike Cowing in collaboration with the Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah led Presidential Implementation committee on Environmental clean-up of oil impacted sites in Ogoni, had made a presentation of their updates on the assignment to Gov. Amaechi, leading up to the field visit.

ENDS