Environmental Defenders Network, EDEN, a non governmental organization, has unveiled its Delta State office in Ughelli, with a vow to battle environmental hazards in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking while unveiling the office located at Edoge Street in Ughelli North Local Government Area, the Director of Climate and Energy justice for EDEN, Mr Maimoni Mariere Ubrei-Joe said the NGO, was out to tackle oil spills, plastic pollution and also advocate for environmental protection rights.
He said launch was about the Ughelli office and to ensure that Delta state was properly covered in terms of environmental monitoring.
He said: “There are oil producing communities that experienced oil pollution and in most cases those spills are not reported just like the case Britannia-U that recently happened in the Focadus area but we were among those that drew the attention of the relevant authorities to that spill.
“For every society to get it right in terms of environmental right, it must take seriously the domestication of internal laws and treaties that have been set out by the international communities to protect the environment, but in Nigeria, these laws are not effective as the constitution has never given any recognition to them.
“Despite having the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NODSRA and National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA and the PIA Acts, most of these legislation are not really effective in terms holding companies accountable and providing guidelines for their operations.
“And this has caused more pollution in country unattended to without anybody being disciplined in accordance with the Nigeria regulations.
“Our oil communities, sometimes do not report these spills because of probably high financial inducement from oil companies and that is the reason, Environmental Defenders Network, EDEN, has come to unravel these hazards and hold any company operating such facilities responsible.
“Oil spillage is just a part of environmental crisis we are talking about but another major issue EDEN will be tackling is the plastic pollution, dredging, minning, deforestation, illegal logging and coastal erosion that is mainly natural because of climate change.
“But the most challenging in the Niger Delta region is the Oil and Gas sector, but plastic pollution or waste is a serious environmental threat to humanity and we are interrogating that as we work with CODAF in the area of zero waste.”
Also speaking, the deputy director of EDEN, Comrade Alagoa Morris said, “EDEN is an environmental sustainability advocacy group with the tendency to tackle environmental human rights, pollution, landslide, flood to help and assist our communities amplify their voice, generate data in making sure that issues related are immediately responded to by the relevant bodies.
“And we are open to work with other stakeholders, the government and bodies, the communities, CSOs in ensuring that global attention is given to environmental pollution and hazards in the Niger Delta region.”
