DENNIS NAKU, P/Harcourt

State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Odein Ajumogobia stated this when he led his ministry’s Heads of Department to pay a courtesy visit to his counterpart in the ministry of Environment, Dr. Roseline Konya at her office in Port Harcourt Rivers State capital.

Mr. Ajumogobia explained that they would revisit those inhibitive clauses which have prevented disfaulters of environmental laws from Being punished, and stressed that the state is the most affected as far as issues of environment degradation are concerned, being the centre of oil and gas activities in Nigeria.

The Justice commissioner decried the dichotomy in existing laws between the state and Federal Government, lamenting that the country’s environment is continually under threat due to oil spills resulting from pipeline corrosion, equipment malfunction, gas flaring among others despite the myriad of environmental laws both at the federal and state levels of the country.

He lauded Dr. Konya and staff of her ministry for their impressive performance and noted that his visit was to close ranks with his counterpart in the environment ministry as it affects environmental laws for the interest of the state, adding that other relevant arms such as the state legislature would be contacted to make necessary input.

Responding, the state commissioner for Environment Dr. (Mrs) Roseline Konya advocated attitudinal change as a panacea to the problems of pollution and indiscriminate dumping of waste and regretted that behavioural attitude of most peoples makes the use of punitive measures an alternative option.

Dr. Konya expressed displeasure over the evasive attitude of some multinationals especially in the payment of compensation or claims and expressed hope that the collaborative efforts of both ministries would help find permanent solutions to inadequate compensation to affected communities in cases of oil spillage.