Human activities and natural
disaster all over the world has continued to effect the environment physically,
socially and economically. Human activities that affect environment include
building along the drainage and other unauthorized places that result to over
flooding, particularly the change of use that is now the order of the day in
various location of housing development in Nigeria.
The inexplicable issues like
disafforestation, oil spillage in the oil producing areas like Niger delta in
Nigeria which lingering adverse effect on farm land and aquatic animals coupled
with incessant discharge of industrial waste remains a big question in the eyes
of many, As a result, the problem has been recognized by successful government
in Nigeria and the out come is setting out a lot of controversies relating to
its regulations.
As human societies develop, land became
cultivated, livestock domesticated, and as permanent settlement become
established, and environmental pollution began to emerge. The problem became more
serious as permanent as these permanent communities grew into cities. The
increase in human population and consumption and pattern led to the increase in
the waste generated, thereby creating environmental problems of collection and
disposal. The scopes of environmental pollution also increase to accommodate
new ones such as atmospheric pollution, acidic rain water and marine, climate
change and deforestation.
The result being that human kind
lives today in an environment where all life supporting element are polluted.
The air we breathe in is no longer healthier. The water we drink is impure and
decreases in volume, and quality daily. The food we eat is usually
contaminated. Human kind continues to witness persistent drought, lowest
harvest, diseases and poverty as a result of climate change, deforestation,
accumulation and disposition of nuclear and other hazardous substance. The
direct and indirect effect of those problems on human kind are manifested in early death, diseases,
physical deformities, genetic mutilations and physiological malnutrition in a
developing countries like Nigeria, where poverty diseases and population
explosions are prevalent, environmental
issues become more confused and complex.
The effect on the plants animals and ecosystem
are equally devastating. Locally, report indicate that the reality of all is
the excessive pressure it put on the available infrastructures and space due to
unabated rural urban migration on the past three decades; this stress has been
reinforced by industrial and urban development that has caused a rising rate of
pollution. its reveal that the rate of
soil degeneration, sheet, golly and coastal erosion and flooding through
non-judicious land use practice remains another case in point. The depletion of
the natural forest through uncontrolled logging true falling and overgrazing
has indeed degraded the environment. In addition to affected bush burning ,and
the risk of exterminating wild life species as well as uncontrolled fishing and
related activities which endanger the species of fish in Nigeria waters.
Another Sharpe focus is where permanent danger
posed by the encroachment of dessert on vast agricultural land along northern
boarders. Consequently, the problem was however recognized by various successive government in Nigeria and the outcome was the creation of federal
environmental protection agency, but the result were far not reaching the
needed desire for effective change it
traded for. Even though at present, the government of the day has gone a
step ahead in creating national environmental standard and regulatory agency
[NESRA], much is still needed to be done.
Of course, for government policies,
commitment is only real when it manifest the in walking the talk so the
consequences of some of our past
policies on environments is not holding water were the challenges still
persist. For instance global warming and ozone layer depletion are all serious
issues that result from ineffective implementation of environmental laws which
must be addressed now. There is need for the perspective ministry of
environment in each state of the federation to pay more attention to the
practice of indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
I am aware that there are laws
and penalty put in place for offender, but the enforcement is weak. One thing
is to make a law, another thing is the enforcement. Having a law in place
without enforcing it is as good as not having at all. The issue of oil spillage
and contamination in the oil producing state is another case in point for
example, under the oil pipeline act and petroleum drilling and regulation
liability is attach to a license whose activities result in the pollution of
wetland, and may be requested to pay compensation to the owner or remediation
and clean up the wetland, depend on whether the wetland polluted is
public land or privately owned, one wonder why the problem of
unrest still persist in the oil producing
areas where cases of oil spillage is on the increase.
Does it mean that the oil explorers in the
country are refusing to pay compensation or rehabilitate the area that pressing
issue that must be address in the propose petroleum industrial bill that is
currently with the national assembly is affected? Do they do any cleaning up
exercise at anytime there are oil spillages? Or do the government officials
collude with those oil explorers to rub the affected communities of what belong
to them? This remain a pressing issue that must form part of the contribution
of the propose petroleum industry bill
No comments:
Post a Comment