Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, at the
weekend raised the alarm over the devastation caused by the pollution of the
Niger Delta environment, especially in the state, stressing that it has led to
rising cases of terminal diseases such as cancer.
The governor in a live broadcast on radio and
television in Yenagoa, noted that he had already appointed a high-powered group
of scientists which has submitted a preliminary report on the effect of oil
spillages causes by multinational oil companies and recently worsened by
illegal refiners called ‘kpo fire’.
The governor said aside the total neglect of oil-producing
communities in the state and the entire region, which is unacceptable, the slow
death occasioned by the effect of the exploitation of oil called for emergency
action.
According to him, “What is going on is worse than
lack of electricity and other things in those communities. What is more
worrisome is the health implication of the years of exposure to chemicals .It
has reached an alarming level.
“In some places, you can’t breathe. You need to
cover your nose always. Our people still drink rain water or from creeks which
has been polluted by these companies. I
have appointed a high-powered forensic team, they are taking blood samples of
our people in all the communities; soil and water samples.”
He explained that when work is concluded on the
study, it will become public knowledge on how the people of the region were
being slowly killed by environmental pollution.
Dickson said: “The scientists will announce the
results soon. What is going on is a gradual extermination of our people. Our
people are being poisoned slowly. The issues are beyond that of ‘there’s no
light’.
“If you are dying, what’s the purpose of light?
There’s an upsurge in cases of cancer; all kinds of ailments for which there is
no cure; there are deformities and low capacity to reproduce children. Even
beyond economic issues, our lives are in jeopardy. We have to protect our
environment.”
The governor, who is also the Chairman of South
South Governors’ Forum, reiterated his call for urgent remediation of oil spill
sites, stressing that the health implications arising from such pollution had
reached an alarming level.
On the ongoing reforms in the state civil service,
the governor said he had directed the Civil Service Commission to commence the
process of recruiting 1,000 young graduates, cutting across the eight local
Government areas of the state.
He added that candidates would write an entry
examination to qualify for employment, insisting that the assessment had become
imperative as part of efforts to promote efficiency, competence and discipline
in the public service, as the ongoing reforms is geared towards strengthening
the service.
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