BAYELSA STATE SET TO LAUNCH “ARISE FOR BAYELSA” CAMPAIGN


BAYELSA STATE SET TO LAUNCH “ARISE FOR BAYELSA” CAMPAIGN

By Ogen Udoh In Yenagoa



Bayelsa State Government, on Wednesday, commenced a campaign tagged 'Rise for Bayelsa' to attract global attention to the ravaging effects of oil spills, pollution and environmental degradation in the state.

The Rise For Bayelsa initiative, which is an international campaign supported by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, will be launched this evening with the screening of a short documentary that showcases the devastation caused by oil companies operating in Bayelsa.

Apart from speeches by government officials, environmental activists and community leaders, there will also be a performance by popular Nigerian musician, Timi Dakolo, the Bayelsa Cultural Troupe as well as guest appearance by some Nollywood artistes, who support the campaign. 

A member of the Media and Publicity Committee of the campaign, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, in a pre-launch press release, noted that oil spills in the western world rightly cause global outrage. But in Bayelsa, spills happen daily and nothing is being done to put a stop to it. 

"The people of Bayelsa are suffering from the effects of these spills and the environmental hazards they cause. The Rise for Bayelsa Campaign, therefore, aims to compel those responsible to take action,” he said.

Alabrah, who is also Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Affairs, said the demands of the Rise for Bayelsa Campaign include calling on multinational and local oil companies operating in the state to clean up spills immediately, provide swift compensation for impacted communities, provide long term sustainable solutions to avoid spills as well as invest in sustainable projects in communities in which they operate. 

Bayelsa has the record of being the state where Nigeria's first oil well was drilled by Shell in 1956. Some of the big oil multinationals today have operational bases in the state and it produces about 40 per cent of the country's oil and gas resources. However, Bayelsa continues to suffer vast environmental and human damage due to the exploration activities of the oil firms. 

The campaign noted that oil spills had resulted in lifetime exposure of communities to contaminated air, water sources, soil and sediment as well as put life expectancy in the Niger Delta around 10 years lower than the national average, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. 

It also stated that flaring of gas, the process by which natural gas associated with petroleum extraction is burned off in the atmosphere, has had a significant negative impact in the Niger Delta, leading to environmental problems such as acid rain as well as generating greenhouse gases.


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