BAYELSA STATE GOVERNMENT SEEKS $12BN TO CLEANUP OIL POLLUTION, RESTORE COMMUNITIES
Reloaded News Desk
The Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission has proposed a $12 billion recovery fund to address decades of oil pollution and restore communities and ecosystems affected by hydrocarbon activities in the state.
The commission’s recovery proposal estimates that the remediation programme could require about $12 billion and take up to 12 years to implement.
The proposed fund is intended to support environmental remediation, restoration of damaged ecosystems, public health interventions and measures to help affected communities recover from the consequences of prolonged pollution.
The commission’s report describes the scale of contamination in Bayelsa as severe, with oil pollution affecting soil, water, air, food sources and livelihoods across affected communities.
It estimates that as much as 1.5 barrels of oil have been spilled in Bayelsa for every man, woman and child living in the state.
The commission has proposed that the recovery fund should receive contributions from international oil companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, alongside other actors responsible for environmental damage.
It also recommends stronger governance, transparency and accountability in managing the proposed fund.
The proposal comes as South-South governors continue to push for wider Federal Government intervention on environmental degradation across the Niger Delta beyond the ongoing cleanup efforts in Ogoniland.
