BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME
The Chairman of Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Hon Christian Ahiakwo, has accused the federal government of insincerity with its claim to encourage Niger Deltans to invest in modular refineries, saying it granted 56 licenses to operators with non from the region.
Ahiakwo who spoke ahead of the Environment summit slated by his committee in collaboration with the State’s Ministry of Environment and the Waste Management Agency for June 13th and 14th 2017 at the State House of Assembly complex, said the licenses were issued by the federal government within the first month President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office.
Continuing, he said the action of the government had shown its alleged insincerity with its proposal to encourage operators of illegal refineries in the creeks of the region to come into legal oil refining business.
He said the environment summit would create awareness on how to develop more friendly attitude towards the earth in the State, adding that it would also involve the need to make laws to fill up inadequate existing environmental laws to better the environment.
The theme, according to him, is, ‘Our Environment, our Heritage: Environmental Sustainability in Rivers State, a right for all’.
He also said that the Summit is aimed amongst others, to review the environmental issues in the State with a view to presenting a Bill to the State Legislature for possible enactment into a Law.
The Summit is expected to bring together top Government Functionaries, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Development Partners, top Industry Personnel, Environmentalists and key Business Leaders from Nigeria and the world. It would also afford participants the opportunity to network and invest in the environmental and other Sectors in the State.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/fg-accused-insincerity-modular-refineries-niger-deltans/