A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Rep. Farah Dagogo, has called for a thorough inquest into the circumstances that led to the death of He advised that if anybody, Corporate, or otherwise was found wanting, such a person should be sanctioned in line with Nigerian and International Laws. fishes along the Niger Delta coastline days ago.
He described the tragedy as ‘colossal’ with dire consequences for the socio-economy of citizens in the affected states of the Niger Delta.
Farah Dagogo, who represents Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency of Rivers State, made the call through a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Ibrahim Lawal.
He disclosed that most States in the Niger Delta were affected, including Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Akwa Ibom.
The federal lawmaker said he had been monitoring the response and activities of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), since the outbreak of the incident, and preliminary investigation he conducted, suggests possible toxicity of the Atlantic Ocean by major oil and gas companies operating within those areas.
“My attention, as the Representative of Degema / Bonny federal constituency, has been drawn to the catastrophic death of fishes around the Niger Delta coastline by my constituents and other persons from neighboring Niger Delta communities.
“The death of the fishes in our coastal waterways, is colossal and has severe implications on the socio-economic development of our people in particular and the States of Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Delta in general. Their death may be as a consequence of pollution caused by the oil and gas companies operating in the region or other associated factors as noted by some environmentalists, or likely as a result of increasing toxicity of the Atlantic ocean, which the primary investigation I conducted indicates. And it can also be all of the aforementioned”, he stated.
Meanwhile, the member has appealed to his constituents and all others affected by the situation, to remain law-abiding, pending the outcome of the investigation.
”I urge my constituents to be law-abiding and continue to maintain peace and order to allow for meaningfully engagements with the State institutions and the Oil and Gas Companies, whose activities directly impact on the coastline.
”Consequently, I am closely monitoring the current actions being taken by the NOSDRA and urge the agency to be unwavering in its attempt to unravel the truth and present a result that would be accepted within the global community, as no cover-up in whatever disguise would be tolerated”, he said.
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”According to him, “In the event that urgent actions are not taken to address this ugly imbroglio, I have been in serious discussions with my fellow members, from the Niger Delta region and other zones, on the best approach to apply through legislative means to ensure that our constituents get justice”.
Dagogo urged the federal government to transparently look into the matter.
He advised that if anybody, Corporate, or otherwise was found wanting, such a person should be sanctioned in line with Nigerian and International Laws.
