Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Mohammed Doro, has described the Niger Delta region as a place of special concern to the Federal Government in view of the peculiar challenges of environmental degradation, oil and gas pollution by oil firms.
Minister Doro, working with development partners including a non-state actor – International Alert Nigeria (IAN) – under the auspices of One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response System (OHOPRS) stated this during a multi-stakeholder engagements summit while assessing the plights of vulnerable fishing communities living around the bounds of Atlantic Ocean in Eastern Obolo local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
The communities constantly facing extinction and threats of being washed away by the ocean surge inspected by the minister included Iko Town, Edowik, Olokpong and Emeroke, 1 and 2.
And the minister, who traversed the troubled communities with the Council Chairman, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Emem Ibanga, and other key officials with gunboats and fishing boats, expressed concern about the living conditions of the seaside dwellers.
While noting that the challenges faced by the distraught fishermen and women following the destruction of the marine ecosystems by extractive industry players including gas flaring, the Minister noted that the magnitude of the challenges demanded a holistic action with all tiers of government and oil firms operating in the area.
He assured that the federal government under President Bola Tinubu, has committed huge resources into tackling poverty across the country and pledged to work collaboratively with the Governor Umo Eno-led state government to address the scourge.
Doro, therefore enjoined companies operating in the area to show more than a passing interest in the affairs of the environment they operate by demonstrating a more practical implementation of their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) to host communities.
Traditional rulers including the Clan Head of Iko Town, Isaiah Okonko; the Village Head of Emeroke Kingdom, Chief Joshua Mathew and some women representatives, lamented the threat of ocean surge and appealed for urgent embankment intervention projects to safeguard the communities from being washed off the map of the state.
