*Say gas flaring threatens their existence

*We’ll collaborate with you, govt assures

By Chioma Onuegbu Uyo

 WOMEN of Ibeno and Esit Eket local government areas of Akwa Ibom State have signed a declaration, demanding an immediate end to Oil and gas extraction activities accompanied by gas flaring in their communities.

 They signed the declaration yesterday during a Town hall meeting on “Strategies to end Gas flaring in Akwa Ibom State” organised by a Civil Society Organization, Policy Alert and supported by Global Green Grant fund.

The declaration was signed by women representatives from the two LGAs including Lady Apostle Cecelia John Ikot from Esit Eket, Rhoda Peters (Ibeno) and read earlier by Glory Alexander Thomas, the Coordinator Ala-uchi women Development Initiative Ibeno.

They expressed concern that flaring Gas has come at a huge cost to  their communities, stressing: “Our air is fouled, our water poisoned, very little catch is left for cur fisher folk, and our farmlands are yielding less and less of their productive capacity.

“Equally distressing for us is that the situation is adversely impacting our sexual and reproductive health, with cases of impotency, infertility and birth complications becoming more and more rampant.

Most concerning for us is the threat to our existence.

“Rising sea level has meant that many of our communities that are low lying have been washed off. What has been washed off goes beyond land. It includes our identity, our cultural heritage, our educational systems, traditions and practices, and our spirituality.

“Considering the aforementioned, we women of the communities making up Esit Eket and lbeno, in concert with our traditional rulers and other community stakeholders, demand an immediate end to any Oil and Gas extraction activity that is accompanied by gas flaring.

“A review of the PIA 2021 to re-assert the environmental regulation roles of the National Oil Spill Detection and Regulatory Agency (NOSDRA),  Federal Ministry of Environment and all other environmental regulators whose roles have been diminished by the Act, and to ensure all historic and current gas flare fines are invested in environmental remediation of the affected communities fare”

Adding, the women urged Nigerian government to set clear milestones towards achieving the 2030 flares-out target it has committed to, as proof of its fidelity to the date.

In her message of goodwill the Director,  Mineral Resources, State Ministry of Environment and Minieral Resources (Petroleum/Solid Minerals) Emem Imo Ibokette expressed government readiness to  support the advocacy to ending gas flare in the state.

“You have to collaborate with the Ministry to make things work. I have been to Ibeno LGA and I observed that gas flaring is still going on there, morning, afternoon and at night. It is not good for us. We came here as a Ministry to tell you that we need to work together. This is not time to collect money from the IOCs.

” This is not time to be bribed, because when they are done, they are gone. This is a new government, we’ll collaborate with you; we’ll fight for our rights together. We must speak with one voice, we must reject what is not good. It is time for us to rise up against gas flaring”, She asserted.

Welcoming the participants earlier ,the executive Director of Policy Alert,  Mr Tijah-Bolton Akpan, who described Gas flaring as a waste of economic resources, wondered why the Nigerian government still play Ostrich on the issue.

 Akpan, noted that they initiated “Wetinwomengain” project, few years ago, adding “And the idea is to mobilize women across Oil and gas communities to become advocacy force against gas flaring. So from the last quarter of 2022 we’ve been training women in these communities to help them understand why gas flaring must be stopped”