Oil spills: VC advocates sanctions against multinationals

The vice chancellor challenged government to be proactive by adopting a sustainable policy to contain the excesses of the affected companies.
He spoke at a lecture and conferment of awards at the 2014 Press Week of Correspondents’ Chapel of Kwara State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) held in Ilorin.
Na’allah, represented by the Coordinator, Research, Industry and Community Development, at the university, Prof Funsho Oluleye, said the nation should no longer continue to bear the threats posed by oil spills in the Niger Delta region.
He tasked the media to help in checking incessant gas flaring in the region.
Na’allah, who chaired the event, urged the media to step up efforts at enlightening the public on issues threatening safe environment.  
He said: “Undoubtedly, through massive awareness campaign, sustainable policy formulation and implementation, the socio-economic and health implications of environmental pollutants ravaging the Niger-Delta region will be reduced drastically.
“In fact, it is high time multinational oil companies in the region stopped oil spills and be made to face heavy sanctions for noncompliance with environmental best practices because the country cannot continue to expose her citizens to such environmental hazards.
“Aside the annual rituals of rainfall prediction by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the media also needs to step up efforts at enlightening the public on the dangers inherent in the blockage of waterways as a result of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and other activities which constitute great threats to safe environment.
“Checking the incessant issue of gas flaring in the Niger-Delta region and erosion causing ecological emergency in other parts of the country is another area where the media is expected to set an agenda for government and the public.”
The guest lecturer at the event, Dr Yinka Oyewo of the Department of Communication Arts, University of Ibadan, said poor maintenance of the environment had deprived people of a lot of natural values.
He said corruption of the nature has contributed to the spread of some of the diseases and other calamities that posed danger to our health and safety.
The don charged the media to inform the society on how the environment can be conserved and be saved from contamination to make people live a healthy life.
He advised that the media should discourage air and water pollution, and direct people’s attention to the effects of chemical weapon, global warming and climate change and cross border environmental issues.