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Niger Delta Fund Initiative: Ecologist blames FG for oil pipelines vandalisation
Daily Independent Online
Wednesday, August 20, 2003By Akanimo Sampson, Daily Independent, PH
An environmental scientist, Mr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, has said that the Federal Government is responsible for the N460.8 billion allegedly lost yearly in the country due to the menace of oil pipelines vandalisation and illegal oil bunkering.
And recently, Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State said about 300,000 barrels of crude oil were being wasted daily through the activities of bunkerers and oil pipeline vandals. This, the governor said, was a "scandalous loss" of about $3.6 billion (about N460.8 billion).
Ojo alleged that government's neglect of the oil-bearing communities was responsible for the vandalisation of the oil pipelines. According to him, the oil companies compute, in arbitrary manner, compensation for crops destroyed during their operations without reference to the prevailing market rates, the yielding potential and life span of the crops.
"There is the need for a specific national law on oil spill compensation to specify methods of claims and liabilities as a response to resource conflicts", he said.
He called for institutional reforms relating to property rights, enterprise laws, resource ownership and claims mechanisms. According to him, reforms and judicial processes are needed for better access to justice, equity and resource conflicts resolution.
"The structuring process of entitlement and claim assume significant manifestations in institutional failures arising from failure to guarantee claims or failure to claim", he said, adding that "cumbersome legal mechanisms, high legal fees, ignorance and low returns from similar court actions discourage many from seeking claims".
He said the elimination of such unnecessary legal obstacles would create a right environment for citizens to monitor and demand environmental protection.
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http://www.earthrights.net/nigeria/news/govtvandalism.html