*African Envoys Proffer Solution to Nigeria's Structural, Environmental Challenges*
Following challenges encountered in Nigeria's federal structure and the
poor regulation of Nigeria's oil and gas sector, some African
diplomats serving
in Nigeria have identified inequitable distribution of resources and poor
regulation of the oil sector as reasons for environmental degradation
especially in the Niger Delta region.
The envoys also pointed the way forward in the area of peace building in
the face of the security challenges facing the nation.
Speaking in Abuja, the Angolan Envoy to Nigeria, Joaquin Costa, and his
Tanzanian counterpart, Daniel Olay Njoolay, said some of the challenges
encountered by Nigeria bordered on inequity and strict implementation of
environmental laws.
Rec eiving the Nation al Coordinator of the Niger Delta Based
Non-Governmental Organisation, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice,
Comrade Sheriff Mulade, who visited the ambassador in his office in Abuja,
to intimate him on the African Leadership and Security Conference scheduled
for November 10, 2016 at the Shehu Ya'rdua Center, Abuja, the ambassador
noted that in spite of the fact that environmental pollution existed in the
northern part of Angola, the government applied strict penalty for erring
multinational companies.
Sheriff had lamented the massive and damaging oil spill and general
environmental pollution perpetrated by multinational companies for which
strict penalties have not been applied by the Nigerian government.
“There is pollution in the northern part of Angola but not very much. We
compensate the locals for pollution effects. There is a policy to penalize
multinationals that contravene our policy”, he said
Speaking on peace, the Tanzanian Envoy noted that the country had enjoyed
peace following its founding President, Julius Nyere's philosophy of
justice and equity.
“Our founding President always said that for peace to exist, two things are
critical: there must be justice; there has to be minimal differences in
equitable distribution of resources. Without it, there is no peace. He
spoke about it and put it in practice”, he said.
The CEPEJ coordinator had praised the peaceful co-existence of
Tanzania's ethnic
groups and peaceful relations with Zanzibar and sought the country's
participation in the conference.
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