Governor Nyesom Wike
-By Olufunke Afolami
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has declared war in two local government areas of the state following illegal bunkering refining activities. The Governor said he is ready to fight the crime. According to him, “It is a serious matter and it is a war from the cartel.”
Wike is in a war path and promised to stop all bunkering and illegal local crude oil activities that have been identified as the main source of the black soot pandemic with severe consequences on the health of the people and the environment of Rivers state.
The governor was tired of the Federal Government tepid response and inaction, he decided to launch an operation to shut down all illegal oil bunkering in a local government refining sites in the state.
He was accompanied by the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Ebuka Friday, and they raided some sites in Ikwerre and Emuoha local government areas. These sites are located in the forest where the activities were being carried out unnoticed except for the huge cloud of toxic fume coming from the illegal refineries.
These forests houses several makeshift reservoirs and refineries including pipeline networks used for syphoning crude oil and loading the products into waiting trucks which will be conveyed to would-be buyers.
The governor said he would deploy every resources under his disposal to stop the activities of these unscrupulous elements in the state and ordered the police to arrest all the culprits including their accomplices even though they are traditional rulers no matter how highly place they are in the state.
However, as the fight against illegal refineries continue, some traditional rulers in Rivers State are proffering solutions on how they can assist the state government to achieve desired results.
According to them every stakeholder should be concerned over the unpalatable situation including the consequences on the environment. Therefore, winning the war over illegal refinery known as ‘O fire’ can be achieved. Traditional rulers are of the view that modular refineries should be set up thereby giving perpetrators opportunity to transfer their energy into such technology for good use to the country into a productive venture contrary to its negativity which has brought harm to the state.
A paramount traditional ruler, Emeka Ihunwo is of the strong opinion that if the “Federal Government gives approval to modular refineries, it will help these illegal oil bunkering activities we are seeing here which is purely economic sabotage.”
While identifying the danger associated with proliferation of stationary trucks in major roads which will be attributed to activities of oil bunkering. There are suggestions of restoring sanity to the roads in the state.
Cornelius Albert, a traditional ruler suggested that “Government should devise a modular refinery system to control trucks in the roads so that they can be evacuated.”
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