Oil exploration ‘destroying’ the ecosystem

Bassey said exploration of crude oil and flaring of gas has destroyed the ecosystem thereby causing environmental warming in the country.

“We can break free from fossil fuel; we cannot keep on burning fossil fuel and the oil companies knew many years ago that oil extraction causes global warming,” Bassey said.

He said the spread of chemical in the ocean during oil spills had affected fishing activities in the parts of the country.

Bassey added that the polluted water has affected the quality and quantity of fish in the ocean.

“It is happening in 15 countries around the world; everybody is saying the use of crude oil, the use of crude, the use of gas is destroying the planet,” he said.

“It makes the planet to change, everywhere is hot; it is because when oil is burning, it pollutes the air as the weather is changing.

“They paid scientists to hide the information so that they can make profits in dollars now that the information is coming out in the USA.”

He called on the multinational companies to the leave the oil in the soil, saying 80 per cent of the chemical kept in the soil had polluted the ocean.

Also speaking, Umo Isua-Ikoh, executive director, Peace Point Action (PPA), another NGO, said residents of oil-bearing communities were suffering from respiratory and skin diseases.

Ikoh attributed the situation to breathing of poisonous gases emitted into the air through oil exploration and extraction activities in the area.

He said the objective of the awareness campaign was to stop the impunity committed in the Niger Delta by the oil multinational companies.

“If we are sincere about doing our part to fight climate change, then we must leave the oil and gas in the soil,” Ikoh said.