The Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers has called on the Federal Government to issue modular refinery licences to operators of illegal refineries to engage in lawful and controlled production of fuel.
This is as they decried the high incident of soot in Rivers State, which they said had enveloped the atmosphere in Port Harcourt and other parts of the state.
The traditional rulers appealed to the governors in the South-South geopolitical zone to intervene and save the Niger Delta from the soot, which according to them, was gradually taking over the region.
The Chairman of the Council and King of Opobo Kingdom, Dandeson Jaja, made the call in a statement in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Jaja said rather than the continued pollution of the environment caused by the soot, the controlled production of fuel would serve the people and keep the environment clean.
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The first class monarch said, “This form of pollution is suspected to be responsible for an increase in health hazards such as bronchitis, asthma, lung cancer and heart attacks which are prevalent in the state and Niger Delta region due to the activities of illegal refiners.
“On behalf of Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, I call on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, issue modular refinery licences to operators of illegal refineries to engage in lawful and controlled production of fuel to serve the people and keep our environment clean,” Jaja stated.
The Rivers monarchs’ boss further called on the apex government to promulgate a law banning illegal refineries to protect lives and prescribe punishment for perpetrators.
King Jaja appealed to the Federal Government to direct the release of enough funds from the ecological fund and also empower other environmental agencies to combat the health hazard in the state.
He frowned on a situation where boats and tanker loads of illegal petroleum products were set ablaze by security agencies in the open, thereby worsening the level of soot instead of disposing of the products in a way that would not pollute the environment.
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