By Chineme Okafor in Abuja
The federal government on Wednesday said that international oil companies (IOCs) operating in the Niger Delta will have to show reasonable acts of responsibility in the clean-up of the oil polluted region, adding that the volume of work required to restore its environment is enormous.
It also disclosed that it will update the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report on the devastation of the environment of Ogoniland which was released in 2011 to enable it do a detailed clean-up of the environment.
In an interview with Arise Network, a sister company of THISDAY in Abuja, the Minister of Environment Amina Mohammed said that while the government welcomed the $1 billion pledged by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) for the clean-up of Ogoni, it was expecting other IOCs in the country to also show their commitment to the clean-up efforts.
Mohammed said the state of damage in the Niger Delta was immense, and that SPDC’s pledge would unlikely go anywhere. She said in this regard, the government was challenged by the works ahead of it.
Details later…
