By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate yesterday asked the Federal Government to introduce a pollution tax to curb the economic sabotage caused by illegal refinery operators.

The Senate also called on the Federal Government to sanction security agents accused of sabotaging the nation’s interest by vandalising pipeline installations and facilities.

The upper legislative chambers passed the resolutions after it considered a motion titled, “curbing soot’s particulate droppings, health hazards concerns and economic sabotage by illegal refining of crude products in Rivers State.”

The motion was sponsored by Senator George Sekibo (Rivers East).

Sekibo told his colleagues that droppings of unidentifiable sooty particulates in Rivers State, suspected to be after-effects of incomplete crude refining process had taken a more dangerous dimension.

He said an environmental audit due to the degradation of the environment had never been carried out since the commencement of the exploration and exploitation activities in the area which lasted for over 60 years.

He lamented that the attendant effect has left the contaminated environment “without hope of remediation.”
Sekibo expressed worry that “the sooty particulate substances dropping in the state are becoming too visible that one cannot stay outdoors without receiving drops of them on his body.

He said, “It has become more worrisome that they are seen on bedspreads in bedrooms, worktops in kitchens, chairs and other materials in houses, meaning that they are entering through every available crevice into inner spaces of buildings as the wind carries them.”

The Senate in a six-point resolution urged President Muhammadu Buhari to note that there was an impending environmental danger in Rivers State being caused by “miscreants who are engaged in illegal refining as well as looting national crude oil assets.”

It urged the President to audit security agencies saddled with the responsibility of securing these assets but are involved in this national sabotage and for them to be sanctioned appropriately by the laws of the country.

The chamber further urged the President to use his constitutional power to support the Government of Rivers State in combating these criminal activities and fishing out national economic saboteurs.

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It mandated the Senate Committees on the Navy, Police Force, Interior, and Army to carry out a holistic investigation of these illegal activities to ascertain those involved in these dastardly acts and report within four weeks.

The Senate further directed its Committees on Environment, Petroleum Upstream, and Primary Health to visit Rivers State and carry out an observatory assessment of the level of damage these activities have caused the environment and the health concern the activities have occasioned as well as suggest solutions and report within four weeks

It also urged the Federal Government to institute a pollution tax that can be scientifically measured and the proceeds therefrom to part-finance the cleaning of the environment and provide medical care to the affected communities.