UNEP Report: Example of Nigerian govt. nonchalant attitude
By
Nwaorgu Faustinus
Following the United
Nations Environment Protection (UNEP) Report on the extent of environmental
pollution and degradation in Ogoniland in 2011, and the federal government’s so
to say nonchalant attitude to show concern to the people from the area, the
Prince of Niger Delta politics, Prince Tonye Princewill has described the
report as another example of the government keeping quiet on serious
environmental issue that affect the well-being of the Ogoni natives.
Princewill who stated
this in a media chat with journalists drawn from Port Harcourt based broadcast
media recently, said in August last year the federal government setup a
committee to study the whitepaper, and at the moment nothing has been done to
assuage the suffering of the people from that axis, saying the situation calls
for concern.
“Where is the
committee? Where is the report?” Princewill asked, adding that he was not sure
that somebody from Ogoniland was a member of the committee to study the UNEP
Report. He also alluded to Niger Delta Technical Committee Report where he was
a member and since its release to the federal government nothing tangible has
been done about it, stating that the issue should have been addressed long time
ago.
As a strong advocate
of internal democracy and uniformity of ideology, in relation to political
parties, Princewill opined that he hopes to see such issues (internal democracy
and uniformity of ideology)take center stage at the on-coming convention of the
People’s Democratic Party, nothing that the Peoples Democratic Party is at the
beginning of an opportunity where reform will be possible if Bamanga Tukur
becomes the National Chairman of the party.
Reacting on federal
government approval for states to generate and distribute power supply/electricity
and refutation of such approval by the state governor, Princewill advised state
governments who can generate power to distribute it for the people with not be
happy if the state government can generate and not distribute power without minding
if the federal government will pay back.
On how he thinks the
Boko Haram issue should be handled as well as the resurgence of militancy in
the Niger Delta, Princewill said the use of intelligence is imperative in
handling the sect as it is a multifaceted issue to wit; social, political and
religious explaining that social, political and religious issues demand for
social, political and religious solutions. He called on the authority to tackle
not only crime but the root cause of crime and ensure the empowerment and
engagement of repentant militants so they can fit well into the larger society.
Other issues
discussed at the media chat include; revenue allocation formula, the need for
sovereign national conference, the monorail project in Port Harcourt, his
ambition for 2015, the inspiration on his billboard, call for a cashless
economy among others.
Nwaorgu Faustinus is
a media reporter to Prince Tonye Princewill
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