Rivers State Soot: Wike Orders Closure Of Illegal Oil Refining Sites

Bothered by the environmental pollution triggered by soot in some parts of Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike has ordered the immediate shutdown of all illegal oil refining sites in the state.

He also ordered local government chairmen, especially Port Harcourt City Local Government, to identify such sites and effect his order. He requested that the council chairmen and community leaders identify and report to his office those behind illegal bunkering and crude oil refining sites in their localities for prosecution.

Wike, who gave the order in his 2022 New Year message on Saturday, stated that the directive is as a result of the failure of the Federal Government and security agencies to rein in those behind illegal oil bunkering and artisanal crude oil refiners in the state.

The governor’s directives were contained in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri.

Wike said, “We have drawn the attention of the Federal Government to this problem and requested for its intervention to stop illegal bunkering and artisanal crude oil refiners, which have been identified as the main sources of the soot pandemic.

“Unfortunately, the Federal Government has remained inexplicably silent over our request and even complicit to a large extent, with the security agencies actively aiding, encouraging and protecting the artisanal refiners to continue with their harmful activities.”

There have been concerns over the presence of soot, a deep black powdery or flaky substance which consists largely of amorphous carbon, produced by the incomplete burning of organic matter, in some parts of the state. The emission began in 2016.

The areas majorly affected are Port Harcourt City, Eleme, Okrika, Gokana, Akuku-Toru and Asari-Toru Local Government Areas. Others are Ogu-Bolo, Tai and Obio-Akpor.

Residents of the state have on several occasions summoned the state and federal governments to tackle the deadly air pollution, as they expressed fears for their health and well-being.

In the New Year message however, the governor said the state government had appealed without success to those involved in the illegal business to consider its negative effects on the economy, environment, public safety and public health and desist from it.