Stop Crude Oil Theft, Artisanal Refineries, Group Tells N/Delta Youths
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Edith CHUKU
In a bid to prevent a reoccurrence of the fire incident that happened on Monday, in Ibaa Community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, a group has called for an end to crude oil theft and artisanal refineries in the Niger Delta region.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre YEAC-Nigeria, condemned the continuous engagement in artisanal refineries, which they said has led to loss of lives and properties.
They appealed to the federal government to immediately approve measures that provide alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners.
YEAC-Nigeria Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, regretted that despite intense advocacy and campaigns, artisanal crude oil refining activities was still ongoing in some communities across the region.
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Fyneface said, “The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre YEAC-Nigeria condemns the continuous engagement in artisanal crude oil refining activities in some communities across the Niger Delta despite intense campaigns and advocacy against crude oil theft, artisanal refining, and pollution.
“This call is in reaction to the explosion at an illegal crude oil refining site in Rumucholu, Ibaa, in the Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, which left over 15 people, including a pregnant woman dead.
“If the intense campaigns against pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and artisanal refining mounted by the organization and other stakeholders, including the state and federal government were adhered to, deaths of this nature would have been avoided.”
He added that, “if the federal government had issued the 18 modular refinery licenses approved by the former President Buhari administration and established the Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI), which modernizes, standardizes, legalizes, and integrates artisanal crude oil refining into the nation’s economy, among others, as alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal crude oil refiners in the Niger Delta, these deaths would have been avoided.
“We call on artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta to stop acts of crude oil theft and artisanal refineries to avoid unnecessary deaths of this nature while calling on the federal government to immediately approve measures that provide alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners in Nigeria.”
