Soot: Port Harcourt residents raise alarm

Residents of Port Harcourt and other adjoining communities in Rivers State are worried over the persistent soot that is posing a threat to their health.

The persistent soot began to be observed in Port Harcourt and its environs in the last quarter of 2016 when the entire city of was taken over by a black substances in the air. 

The soot, which experts attributed to the activities of illegal  artisanal refineries, has persisted despite assurances by the state government that it would address the issue.

Niger Delta Trust reports that apart from the health hazards it constitutes to them, the residents are also complaining that it blackens their household utensils as well as rooftops, cars and clothes. 

A resident, Sammie Ogbonna, blamed the soot  on illegal crude oil bunkering carried out by those that engaged in illegal artisanal refining activities. 

He wondered why the political authority and other leaders were not taking any action against those who believed to be behind it. 

“In few years from now, if nothing is done by the government people might begin to drop dead on the streets of Port Harcourt and other towns around it. Moreover, lung-related diseases like asthma and bronchitis will be as common as malaria. 

“We must all speak up against the negligence of the government to the cry of people.”  

A Port Harcourt-based youth organisation, Rivers Renaissance, has called on Governor Nyesom Wike, to address the issue immediately.  

The group, in a statement signed by its President General, Dr. Dokubo Dan-Tamuno, said its investigation revealed that many  people are already suffering from different diseases as a result of the adverse effects of the soot in the last six years. 

Rivers State Governor Wike last week declared 19 persons wanted for operating illegal crude oil refineries believed to be responsible for the soot. 

The governor has also directed the Rivers State Head of Service to query one Mr. Temple Amakiri, a director in the Ministry of Energy, for abetting bunkering activities and hand him over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.