By Etop Ekanem

Chairman, House  Committee on Oil and Gas and Environment, Delta State House of Assembly, Pullah Ekpotuayerin, has tasked multinationals in Niger Delta to ensure adequate protection of the environment by not dumping toxic waste in the sea and nearby forest to endanger the inhabitants and aquatic creatures.

Ekpotuayerin stated this in Asaba while receiving reports of some community leaders from Burutu, Ughelli South and Warri South West LGAs of the state on companies’ indiscriminate dumping of waste materials in parts of their environment and across Niger Delta, advising the companies to always consider the safety and protection of their host communities’ environment as well as lives of aquatic creatures.

Ekpotuayerin, who is representing Burutu South constituency said:  “I want to say the Delta State House of Assembly will take some very drastic measures on companies that violate and develop the habit of destroying the environment deliberately by dumping toxic waste materials on the waterways, the high sea and forests.

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“You are not only destroying the lives of the aquatic creatures, but destroying lives of people around your operational base.

“This deliberate act causes adverse economic effect as crops and plants growth is affected as well as fishing activities as waste chemicals cut short lives of aquatic creatures.

“Apart from oil spill, which damages the environment massively, companies still deliberately dump toxic waste materials in high sea, rivers and forest within their area of operation. This will be looked into by the committee which I shared and punitive measures shall be taken to curb flagrant abuse and disobedience of safety of the environmental protection in Delta State.’’

Vanguard News Nigeria