TheCable

Igho Akeregha, president of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), has urged the federal government to take serious action against persons involved in illegal oil refining to address soot pollution in the Niger Delta region.

He made the comment on Wednesday during the latest episode of Public Conscience, an anti-corruption radio programme produced by the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG).

The show, which aired on 99.9 Kiss FM, Abuja, followed a recent investigation by TheCable which revealed how residents of Rivers are “dying slowly” due to unchecked activities of illegal oil refiners.

According to Akeregha, without the political will to punish those facilitating such illegal activities, nothing will change.

“Unless there is punishment, that’s where the political class will comes in – nothing will change,” he said.

He commended PRIMORG for using its platform to strengthen the Nigerian society and consistently digging up corruption issues bugging the nation.

Also speaking during the programme, Felix Mamode Akugha, broadcaster and executive producer of ‘Inside the Niger Delta’, accused politicians and security officers of aiding illegal oil refining activities.

According to Akugha, illegal refining of crude oil has become “a multi-billion naira industry” in Rivers and the Niger Delta region, which “employs over 500,000 youths”.

He alleged that security operatives lobby to be posted to Rivers and become millionaires within months, through their involvement in the illegal oil refining activities.

The broadcaster also cited the comment made by Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, who had once accused Jamil Sarham, general officer commanding (GOC) 6 division of the Nigerian Army, of running an oil theft ring in the state.

“The illegal refining business is a multi-billion naira industry, it is something that is not hidden, it is very visible,” Akugha said.

“Governments at all level have been incapacitated in trying to stop this business, because quite a lot of big people are involved in it. When I mean big, I mean very influential, very powerful political leaders, military leaders are all involved in this business, and so it is difficult to put a halt to it.

“They (oil bunkers) get the crude oil from pipelines. In other words, the man who is put to guard something is the one that is taking from it. There is nobody to stop it. The theft of Nigerian crude oil is alarming, but is the government ready to do anything?”