The Senate has charged the Federal Government to assist Rivers State to tackle the menace of soot and activities of illegal refiners.
The Senate resolution is sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator George Sekibo and seven other senators at plenary.
Sen. Sekibo, while moving the motion, urged the Federal Government support the state to overcome the twin-headed debacle.
The motion was titled: “Curbing soot’s particulates droppings, health hazard concerns and economic sabotage by illegal refining of crude products in Rivers State.”
According to the Rivers senator, the droppings of unidentifiable sooty particulates in Rivers State suspected to be the after-effects of incomplete crude refining processes has assumed a dangerous dimension of impacting negatively on the environment.
He expressed worry that residents of the state stand the risks of suffering from serious health challenges caused by the inhaling of the sooty particulates, as the particulates may contain chemicals that pose health hazards to the people of the state.
“Air pollution has no boundary or limit within which it could be contained as means of containment of air pollution has not been discovered. Therefore the possibility of these sooty particulates spreading to other neighbouring states and indeed, the entire nation cannot be over- emphasised,”the senator added.
Senator Sekibo linked the recent cases of deaths without noticeable ailments in many towns in the state to inhaling of these noxious particulates, warning that the phenomenon could become a national emergency if not handled appropriately by the federal government.
He disclosed that the crude oil illegally being used to refine petroleum products is obtained through crude pilfering that is causing colossal national waste and economic sabotage, accusing security agents posted to secure critical oil and gas national assets of aiding criminals to commit national economic crimes.
The senator however, commended the Rivers State Government for taking a bold step to fish out the criminals involved in the theft and illegal refining of petroleum products as well as destroying such illegal substandard refineries.
“The issue of clean environment is one of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy as provided in Section 20 of the 1999 Constitution.
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“Security agents who involve themselves in these acts of national sabotage be given appropriate sanctions and other perpetrators be treated as economic saboteurs,” he demanded..
Adopting the motion, the Senate advised the federal government to note the impending environmental danger occurring in Rivers State as orchestrated by miscreants who engage in illegal refining as well as looting national crude oil assets.
It charged the president to audit security agencies who are saddled with the responsibility of securing these assets but are involved in this national sabotage by dishing out appropriate sanctions to offenders.
Also, the Senate urged the president to support Rivers State in the quest to combat these criminal activities and fish out the national economic saboteurs.
It directed the Senate Committees on Navy, Police, Interior and Army to investigate these illegal activities with a view to ascertaining the involvement of security agencies, while the Committees on Environment, Petroleum Upstream and Primary Health are to visit Rivers State and carry out an assessment of the level of damage to the environment and the health concerns.
The committees are to report back to the Senate within four weeks.
