A Civil Society Organization, (CSO), Peace Point Development Foundation (PPDF) has called on the Federal Government to hold the International Oil Companies (IOCs) accountable in their operations to reduce pollution in the Coastal Communities.
In a statement yesterday by Coordinator, PPDF, Mr. Umo Isua-Ikoh on the World Ocean Day said such action will help check “destructive fishing practices such as trawling and use of chemicals including gammalin 20 in fishing”.
He said “it is difficult to enumerate all the values of the Ocean. Ocean holds about 97 percent of the water of our planet. It regulates rain and droughts indicating that almost all rain dropping on land comes from the sea.
“Ocean regulates our climate and Weather pattern, transporting heats from the equator to the poles. It’s said to produce more than half of world’s oxygen and also vested with the capacity to absorb fifty times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. Ocean provides adequate resources including foods and protein for the world to survive with”.
He pointed out that “upon, all its numerous benefits, human activities including frequent oil spills and gas flaring occasioned by oil extractions, overfishing, shark hunting, inadequate protection of the ocean, tourism, shipping, man induced climate change etc continuously impact negatively on the marine ecosystem posing serious threats to the marine life and habitats including declines in fish stocks, death of our reefs and sea level rise that could displace hundreds of millions of people around the globe”.
According to him, pollution from plastic debris “constitutes another form of threats to the health of our oceans causing severe injuries and deaths to aquatic lives, threatening food safety, security and quality hence it is never too late to change the narratives and secure the Ocean life and livelihoods only if we government can check activities oil companies and others”.
He also advised that there should be “use of less water to avoid excess runoff and waste water flowing into the ocean, reduce amount of plastic use through recycling, avoiding single – use plastics and proper disposed of trash.
“Organize community clean- up excise within the coastal area and help fishers to maintain their livelihoods by incorporating conservation efforts”.
