By Oscarline Onwuemenyi
ABUJA – The Federal Government on Friday stated that it has started the process of employing atomic energy techniques for the monitoring of the problem of marine contamination and degradation of the Nigerian Coastline.

Chairman of the steering committee of the FGN- IAEA Technical Cooperation Project on Marine Contamination Monitoring, Chief Ebitimi Banigo, who enunciated the Federal Government’s effort during a meeting of the Steering Committee at the headquarters of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, said that all the principal stakeholders and relevant  government agencies have woken up to the necessity to adequately  monitor and prevent the contamination and degradation of Nigeria’s coastline.

He said, “Our extensive marine coastline and oil exploration and production activities expose Nigeria to the greatest danger among the three West African countries chosen for the project namely Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.”

While commending NAEC for creating the requisite linkage between Nigeria and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the implementation of the project and funding the steering committee so far, Banigo appealed to the Commission and other corporate stakeholders including the Ministries of Environment and Niger Delta Affairs and multinational oil companies to urgently provide the needed seed funds in time to enable the committee carry out its activities.

These funds, he said will also enable the project teams conduct the necessary field tests to present at the midterm review session with the IAEA in August, 2010 to avoid the tragic loss of Nigeria being delisted from the project.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Hon. Sam Ode said the primary objective of the project falls in line with the mandate of the ministry which was to fast- track development in the Niger Delta stressing that the restiveness in the Niger Delta was inextricably woven round the issue of degradation of the environment by the activities of the oil companies.

Ode further noted that the project team should work out a programme that will be in tandem with the post-amnesty programme of the federal government to utilize the Niger Delta youths to protect oil installations and equipment of the oil companies operating in the region.

He promised to assist the steering committee source for the necessary funds within the stipulated time as the success of the project will directly affect the wellbeing of the people of the Niger Delta who are mainly inhabitants of the coastal areas.

Speaking earlier in his opening remarks, the Director General of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Dr. Erepamo Osaisai remarked that the extent of the contamination of the marine environment in Nigeria needs to be properly quantified using modern atomic energy techniques with the technical assistance of the IAEA, so as to avert the inherent dangers the country maybe exposed to.

He said that the fight to clean up the environment needs tackling from many different points hence the diverse representation from universities, oil companies, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency(NOSREA) Research Institutions, National Environmental Standards Regulation and Enforcement Agency(NESREA) and other national and international agencies and NGOs.
Osaisai urged the committee to work concertedly to achieve its objective.

National Coordinator of the project, Prof. Francis Sikoki, remarked that the monitoring programme needs the support of all stakeholders as toxic pollutants constantly enter the environment from various sources undetected.

This he said cannot be tolerated as “ships and vessels entering our sea-ports may also take advantage of our weak monitoring systems and lack of early warning systems to discharge toxic wastes undetected thereby exposing our coastal ecosystems to contamination and the communities to potential health hazards.”

He further stressed that effective monitoring will enable Nigeria to know the quality of toxicants on seafood and waters in line with specification from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The project, RAF/7/008, “Enhancing Regional Capacity for the Assessment  of Contamination in the Marine Environment” commenced in Nigeria in April 2009 following IAEA’s acceptance of a report on the outcome of the National Planning Workshop on Marine Environment Monitoring held in Abuja from the April 27- 28, 2009.

The workshop was jointly sponsored by the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).