Pollution: Group demands end to crude oil exploration
The Centre for Human Rights, Health, Ethnic Harmony and Livelihood Development has called for an outright end to crude oil exploration, due to its concomitant destruction of the ecosystem.
Executive Director of CHHELD, Mr. Dandyson Harry Dandyson, stated that crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, illegal oil refining and bunkering activities will die naturally, if crude oil exploration ends.
Dandyson said since those involved in various forms of oil theft have no facility to drill oil by themselves, hence they will have no place to tap oil from, while urging the government to set up modalities toward phasing out oil exploration.
He spoke while appearing on a live radio programme, Just Energy Transition, organized by the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, in partnership with Spaces for Change with support from Africa Centre for Energy Policy.
“Leave the oil in the ground, let us focus on other areas.
“Even if we say we can manage our oil very well it is still destroying our ecosystem; pipeline vandalism, leaks from pipelines will continue. Cars, big factories will keep emitting carbon monoxide into the atmosphere destroying the ozone layer, so far as they will keep using crude energy.”
Dandyson also called for a ban on the importation of used vehicles into the country, stating that there was no comparison in the emission from a new car with that of an old one.
“I have always been of the opinion on the need to ban the importation of used vehicles, though there is a drop now because of the exchange rate. People have now gone into purchasing third grade Nigerian used vehicles which have a very high-level of carbon emission.
“The government should ban the importation second-hand cars commonly called Belgium cars.
If secondhand cars are banned, car manufactures like Innoson will start making cars that civil servants can afford, other car manufacturing companies will start coming to Nigeria because the country only uses new cars.
“If an individual wants to drive a car and cannot afford a new one, the person should use public transport.”
