*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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