The recurring experience of soot in Port Harcourt, River State capital city has become a source of concern to the residents of the city, considering the danger it poses to human and domestic animals’ health.
The folks living in various communities where crude oil is being tapped in the Niger Delta of Nigeria have been facing environmental and health hazards from the beginning of time since multinational oil exploration companies began operation in the region from the 1960s till date.
In retrospect, from my childhood experience when l usually followed my maternal grandmother to farm to harvest cassava tubers, an oil spill damaged her farm land and made the tubers decay underground. Since then, l have been wondering when the environmental degradation of the area will stop.
Most of the local folks in the region are farmers and fishermen. They have no other means of sustaining themselves. When one of our farms’ land was damaged by an oil spill, we suffered the consequences in silence for years, because the local government authority of our community was unable to assist us and other affected farmers to get compensation.
The situation of the environment and health of the folks have become more threatened over the years due to the emergence of new illegal local refining oil groups and bunkering operations in the area.
The people living in Port Harcourt especially, are the worst hit in recent times as the activities of oil explorers have been producing soot spreading in the atmosphere and settling into residential buildings from time to time.
Hence, the residents had vehemently cried out following the increase in horrible black soot blanketing the atmosphere due to the unchecked activities of illegal refiners in the state.
Nonetheless, it would be recalled that not quite long, there has been renewed increase in worry in the state capital as the 2023 general elections in Nigeria draws nearer. Some folks said the amount of black soot in the atmosphere may return again soon as it usually happens when some local politicians suspected to be sponsors of oil bunkering resume their activities in order to make brisk petro – dollar to pursue their political activities. According to some observers, the usually naturally bright weather of the city turns into a deadly harmattan – like hazy atmosphere when it is not yet the season, whenever local illegal oil refiners intensify their operations.
While speaking with one of the folks on the condition of anonymity, he said, “l just hope people will not start dropping dead soon before the government does something about it as we are approaching the election period in Nigeria. Our government from local to federal level is not proactive. It does not usually take proactive steps to checkmate life threatening environmental and human health situations, until it gets out of control just like other societal ills like kidnappings and banditry that were not nipped in the bud at their early stages of happening.
“One other reason illegal refiners of oil engage in such bad business is when there is fuel scarcity. Many people usually cough due to the effect of soot on their health. Those suffering from asthmatic disease can easily die as a result of the choking effect of the soot.”
He further pointed out that people found it difficult to go about their daily compulsory activities without putting on a nose mask (face mask) because of the health threatening situation, especially during the twilight of 2021 when soot blanketed everywhere in the city.
Moreover, other respondents that also choose to speak on the condition of anonymity to avoid falling victims of attack by those responsible for the soot said a lot of folks coughed uncontrollably and fell ill due to constant inhalations of soot during such occasions.
“Even dogs kept barking and became restless when they could not properly breath,” one of the respondents said.
Therefore, at this point in time, they want the government to take drastic action to stop the recurring decline of environmental and health pollution by both multinational and illegal refiners of oil in the region, as fuel scarcity is being experienced at present, in some states in the country.
