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N/Delta Fishermen applaud Buhari on assent to PIB

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The Artisanal Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN)
The Artisanal Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN)
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The Artisanal Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law.

Mr Samuel Ayadi, the Coordinator of ARFAN in the Niger Delta, made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Yenagoa.

Ayadi noted that the new law had a lot of promises for the Niger Delta region.

He said that the Petroleum Industry Act  (PIA) 2021, which became law on Monday, amongst other provisions, made it statutory for oil firms to develop and involve communities where they operate.

Ayadi expressed optimism that the new legislation would be implemented to herald a new era in the oil communities and end the situation where oil exploration activities stifled the fishing activities.

The ARFAN coordinator however appealed to the President to prevail on Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) to pay the $3.6 billion fine imposed by the oil industry regulators over the 2011 Bonga oilfield spill.

The fishermen noted that they were yet to recover from the adverse effect of the 2020 lockdown on the fishing sector, while lamenting their exclusion from the palliatives provided for the agric sector to guarantee food security.

Ayadi noted that ARFAN members had suffered untold hardship fishing at the nation’s territorial waters since 2011, when an equipment failure at the Bonga Offshore field operated by SNEPCO discharged some 40,000 barrels of crude into the waters.

NAN recalls that On Dec. 20, 2011, during loading of crude at Bonga fields within OML 118, situated at 120 kilometres off the Atlantic coastline, the export line ruptured and discharged crude oil into the waters.

The export line, according to a Joint Investigation Report by National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA} and SNEPCO, spewed about 40,000 barrels (6.4 million litres) of crude oil into the Atlantic Ocean.

Ayadi further appealed to the Buhari administration to resolve the Bonga spill incident by setting up a committee to address the issue of loss of income, while the clean-up exercise of the incident lasted.

According to him, the fishermen were advised by NOSDRA to stop fishing in the impacted waters for several weeks to avoid catching contaminated fish that could jeopardise public health.

He noted that having complied with a regulatory order by NOSDRA to stop fishing to avoid contaminated fish, they deserved to be indemnified for loss of income for the period the clean-up lasted.

NOSDRA had in March 2015 imposed the fine on SNEPCol for discharging 40,000 barrels of crude into the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 20, 2011.

The fine comprised a $1.8 bilion as compensation for the damages done to natural resources and consequential loss of income by the affected

shoreline communities as well as a punitive damage of $1.8 billion.

Following a legal action instituted by Shell at a Federal High Court in Lagos, the trial judge, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, on June 20, 2018, dismissed the suit challenging the imposing of $3.6 billion fine on it by NOSDRA.

The fishermen impacted by the Dec. 20, 2011, spill from the Bonga Oilfields applauded the judiciary for the judgment which upheld the fine, but regretted that the judgment was yet to be complied with.

 

(NAN)

 

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Environment

Residents Hail Oyebanji’s Infrastructure Drive as Spotless-Onigari Road Takes Shape

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Residents of GRA Spotless-Onigari Community in Ado-Ekiti have expressed deep appreciation to the Ekiti State Government for the ongoing construction of the road linking Spotless Junction, Olaoluwa Muslim Grammar School, and the Assembly of God Church along Orisun-Egbewa Road, off Falagan Road.

 

 

The road project, which spans approximately 2.2 kilometres, includes the construction of modern drainage systems and other supporting infrastructure designed to improve transportation, enhance environmental sanitation, and stimulate socio-economic activities within the community.

 

 

During an inspection of the project, community leaders commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for fulfilling one of his promises to the area, noting that the administration has continued to demonstrate commitment to infrastructural development across the state.

 

 

The project is being executed by Garden of Mercy Construction Company Limited, with Engineer Ariyo Fagbayi serving as the site engineer overseeing the work.

 

 

Speaking on behalf of residents, the General Chairman of the community, Professor Femi Omotosho, described the project as a significant intervention that would greatly improve the living conditions of residents and facilitate easier movement within the area.

 

 

Also speaking, the Community Chairman, Alhaji Rabiu Ademola Olalekan, praised the state government for its commitment to infrastructure development, describing the project as evidence of responsive and people-centred governance.

 

 

The Youth Leader of the community, Mr. Adamonkekun Ojo, expressed the excitement of young people in the area, noting that the road project would create economic opportunities and contribute to the overall growth and development of the community.

 

 

The community leaders collectively pledged their continued support for the state government and promised to mobilise residents to support the governor’s re-election bid in the forthcoming governorship election.

 

 

They expressed satisfaction with the quality and pace of work on the project and assured the government of their readiness to reciprocate the gesture through sustained cooperation and democratic participation.

 

 

Residents who spoke during the inspection described the road construction as a welcome development that would bring an end to years of transportation challenges and improve access to schools, places of worship, businesses, and residential areas.

 

 

They expressed optimism that the project would be completed on schedule, in line with the state government’s commitment to providing quality infrastructure and improving the welfare of residents across Ekiti State.

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Environment

Court Warns Defendants in Ode-Irele Chieftaincy Dispute to Obey Judgment or Face Jail

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A High Court sitting in Okitipupa, Ondo State, has issued a stern warning to parties involved in the ongoing chieftaincy dispute in Ode-Irele, directing them to comply with its earlier judgment or risk imprisonment.

 

The court specifically ordered Adeniyi Olanrewaju Ayeromora and other defendants to adhere to its ruling delivered on August 2, 2022. The judgment had restrained them from parading themselves as regent or initiating any new selection process for the Olofun of Irele stool.

 

In a notice outlining the consequences of disobedience, the court cautioned that failure to comply could result in contempt proceedings and possible committal to prison.

 

The directive was also extended to key government officials, including the Attorney General of Ondo State and relevant local government authorities. The court warned them against recognizing or supporting any actions that contradict its ruling.

 

Meanwhile, the court has issued a separate Form 49 notice summoning several defendants to appear and show cause why they should not be jailed for allegedly continuing to violate the subsisting court order.

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Africa News

Anger, Rage As Ministerial Task Team Dismantles Illegal Motor Parks, Shanties At Zuba

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As efforts to make sure the the Nigeria Federal Capital is Clean enough like other Capital Cities around the world, the FCT Ministerial Task Team on City Sanitation on Tuesday moved bulldozers to clear illegal shops, shanties and other makeshift structures in and around Zuba one of the suburbs of the Nigeria Capital City.

During the cleaning exercise, Petty traders and owners of those structures were visibly angry , The FCT Ministerial Task Team on City Sanitation dismantled illegal motor parks and shanties in the area.

Officials of the team led by its chairman Ikharo Attah, who moved into the area in the wee hours of the day stormed the popular Dankogi area on Zuba-Kaduna expressway and demolished the illegal motor parks which the traders operate in makeshifts, constituting security threat to the people.

Responding to questions from journalists after the exercise tagged ‘clean up’ the chairman said removing of the structures was in line with the directives of the minister of the FCT Malam Muhammad Bello to maintain sanity in the city.

Attah explained that the exercise followed the Minister of FCT’s directives on the need to reclaim the inter-change in Zuba being abused by traders and motorists.

He regretted that the inter-change has been taken over by shanties in the name of trading, causing grilock and nuisance.

The chairman stated that, “The minister is not comfortable with the abuse of the plan of the inter-change which is supposed to be green but is converted into a transport hub that is gradually becoming a shanty and criminals’ den, the area has also become a plantain market.

“We are removing the illegal structures to reclaim Zuba because some criminals are coming to the spot, so the exercise today is multi dimensional, one is to reclaim the Zuba inter-change, two is to remove shanties where criminals hide, three is to free traffic coming from Kubwa-Dei-Dei axis that connect Zuba and Zuma rock axis on Abuja-Kaduna express way.

“There is a market for the traders, so they should move in, not selling on the road, they feel to sale on the road because it provides quick market for them, we are discouraging that by appealing to them to relocate and leave the road inter-change, or corridor” he said.

FCT Bulldozer At work in Zuba

On sustaining the exercise, Hassan Ogbole of the Department of Development Control said after the clean-up, the Department of Parks and Recreation is expected to take over the area for proper management.

“We have done our part it is left for the Department of Parks and Recreation to take over the management of the area, is either they come in as a department, or hand it over to a contractor that will manage it”

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