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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Federal Government, in a bid to resolve the incessant cries of exploitation by host communities with natural resources, has planned to set up a taskforce anchored by the Petroleum Environment and Solid Minerals Degradation Awareness Association (PESMDAA), which will also be responsible for checks on environmental degradation.
Imo State Coordinator of the association, Sam Aka, who disclosed this to journalists in Owerri during a press briefing, said the taskforce will also ensure the host communities live in peace with the oil companies in their area.
He attributed most restive behaviours by youths in the oil-rich communities to marginalisation and exploitation by the companies. “If these companies in the first place provide their hosts with infrastructural needs like good roads and electricity, there would not be any need for restiveness.
“But in most cases now, you see oil companies having their head offices in the cities and paying taxes there, while their host communities are left with no good roads and lack of job employment by their youths; these are what we’re going to address and make sure this act henceforth does not lead to insecurity.”
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The taskforce, he added, will also monitor the activities of illegal mining of solid minerals, felling of forest trees, and other forms of environmental degradation.
“People these days are fond of cutting down economic trees without replacing them; the taskforce will curb this as well as see to the unhealthy defecation of human faeces in our rivers. Boreholes are later dug close to these places, causing more epidemics; we can’t allow this to continue,” Aka explained.
Part of their duties, he continued, is to arrest illegal oil bunkers and those illegally excavating solid mineral resources such as sand and granites.
Aka revealed that over two thousand of the taskforce selected from the 305 wards in the State are being trained by the military and will commence operations soon.
