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FIGHTING OIL SPILL WITH CLEAN ENERGY, BY EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN
I thank the organisers for asking me to be part of this event. In truth I had very little difficulty making a decision to chair it because of the interest and frontline commitment we, in Delta state, have about oil pollution on the environment. As Prof. Fagbohun, the author can confirm, today was our first meeting, although he extended his courtesy to me by sending an advance copy of his book, which from my initial perusal is a commendable effort as well as timely, and should definitely add to our store of knowledge as well as aid our understanding about the issues of oil pollution and the environment from the legal perspective. This book I foresee will be useful in so many ways one of which might well be that where moral persuasion and community agitation fail to impel positive action from the oil companies, legal redress becomes the only option. And for legal option to be successful, it must be drawn from a position of knowledge. This is where his research of practices and policy actions in other jurisdictions becomes an important tool. Furthermore, I believe there are useful tips and insights for policy makers about a range of issue concerning oil pollution and environmental restoration. So, scholarly efforts like this should be supported for the immense benefits it brings to society and to governance. Oil pollution is doing unspeakable damage to the environment in a manner not many who do not live with it can fully understand. By putting forward this book the task of illuminating our understanding of these issues and expanding our capacity to probe further is made easier. For me, my interest in environmental pollution was long kindled by my intimate interaction with the environment as a little boy in a riverine community and the tragic change that had occurred since its unbridled devastation began some years ago. I grew up in a village called Mosogar, and by the way I tell this story all the time and for those who have heard it before you have to pardon me, because I am sure there are many others, who have not. In Mosogar, in Delta state, life was simple: We cultivated our food, I tapped rubber, I helped in the farm, and I knew how to fish. Community life was great. The environment was good and supported the life style we knew and wanted. As a boy growing up in the village, it was not out of place for me to be asked to go to the stream to look for fish that had been trapped by net for the meal we were preparing. Sometimes while we were by the side of the stream you could see fishes right at the bottom of a clear blue stream and if you had the skill you can reach down with your hands and catch the fish and return home. Sometimes in the morning I could chose to use the white sand at the bottom of the stream to scrub my teeth. This life that I knew had all but disappeared. Our farm lands and fresh waters have been destroyed by oil spill and environmental degradation. Gas flare ensures that some of the communities in future are at the risk of acid rain, with its serious health implications. As a consequence, our people have been denied a way of life they had known for generations. I say these things not because they are new, but to remind everyone of the grave danger ahead and the importance of community action and governmental leadership to tackle this issue. Community action can take the form of bridging knowledge and sharing ideas, the sort of thing we are doing today, but governmental leadership is so important. What is happening at the Gulf of Mexico with BP is an engaging spectacle and a model for action. A few days ago we received in Delta state, Mr. President, on his maiden working visit, which offered us an opportunity to press upon the federal government the necessity of calling the oil companies to account and to explore opportunity for criminal investigation. Our posture needless to say was largely influenced by the US/BP debacle. The US has compelled BP to put aside 20 billion dollars victim funds for the people the spill has affected, that for me is leadership. BP’s problem is far from over. As we speak, the company is facing over 220 lawsuits and is seeking Five billion dollars in financing from banks to pay compensation. In the Niger Delta, an equally terrible if not worse situation is right there with us. A recent report by the New York Times is of particular interest. The paper reports quoting figures obtained from its investigation that, wait for it: as many as 546 million gallons of oil have spilled into Niger Delta since oil was discovered 50 years ago! 546 million gallons! This is why the Niger Delta has become a black hole, an environmental wasteland. A particular excerpt from the report of that paper, says: “perhaps no place on earth has been as battered by oil, experts say, leaving residents here astonished at the nonstop attention paid to the gusher half a world away in the Gulf of Mexico. It was only a few weeks ago, they say, that a burst pipe belonging to Royal Dutch Shell in the Mangroves was finally shut after flowing for two months: Now nothing living moves in a black-and-brown world once teeming with shrimp and crab.” If you juxtapose this article with the comment of Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, MD of Shell, who the other day painted a different picture of the situation, which amounted to shirking responsibility, you would feel deeply outraged. Meanwhile in the US, President Obama seizing the moment has redoubled his efforts to end the dominance of fossil fuel as the mainstay for driving US economy. He talks more forcefully about clean energy, about renewable energy as the desirable goal to avoid future catastrophe. To underscore the seriousness of his administration, the White House has frozen further exploration of oil in deep sea of the Gulf of Mexico until 2013. The consequence of that is a likely spike in oil prices. So what is the point that I am trying to make, nothing other than to suggest to this audience that the days of crude oil dependence are numbered. Renewable energy is simply the energy of the future. Three years ago when we assumed office we initiated our ‘Delta without oil’ strategy, which was designed to draw the state towards a different economic development paradigm. At the back of our mind, we knew oil is a wasting resource and non-renewable and has done considerable damage to the environment as well as the attitude of our people in terms of creating a tunnel vision about other opportunities. It was our determination to change this situation by talking about other opportunities as well as building infrastructure that will encourage investors to come in and do business, make profit, create capacity and be environmentally responsive. For instance, we have made considerable progress in encouraging agriculture, both at a small scale and large investors. Instructively our initiatives began well before the debate about climate change heightened at the global community. It thus made sense that we, already leading in campaigning on the issue of environment, ending pollution—gas flare and oil spill-should step up our effort towards remediating our polluted water and land by creating linkages to support us at the global level. Such international engagements like the Global Governors Climate Summit, R20 and partnership with UNDP amongst others have helped to broaden our understanding as well as open avenues of cooperation and support for our quest for a low carbon and climate resistant economy. We are at the advanced stages of planning these initiatives, but I am happy to inform this audience of the enormous goodwill and interest we have elicited from our engagements at different stages of restructuring our economy. The Delta Green Economy initiative has been put in place. It should become the vehicle to drive this process of low carbon and energy efficient economic system as well as popularising the concept of adaption and mitigation of climate change in the state. In summing up my comments, I wish to stress that we can no longer pretend to be ignorant about the issues of environment. To do so would be to short change ourselves and the future generation, at a time there are emerging opportunities to tap into and derive enormous benefits. Clean energy has come to stay and that is why efforts such as this book helps in getting everyone to understand the issues better, because whether we accept it or not the future is already here. I thank you for your kind attention.   
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