Ogoni activists task N'Assembly on UNEP report

FOR the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report to be successfully implemented, there is need for the National Assembly to enact a law that would guard and guarantee its seamless execution.'This was the observation of Ogoni activists during a meeting with UNEP officials in Port Harcourt, Rivers State recently.Nurudeen Ogbara, a legal practitioner, pointed out that Nigeria is guarded by rule of law, adding that anything that is not in the law remains a mere waste of time hence it cannot be regarded.'Without a law backing the implementation of the report, nothing reasonable will be achieved and all the efforts put in so far will become a waste of time. So I urge the National Assembly to enact a law that would ensure successful implementation of the UNEP report,' he said.To also strengthen the environmental practice in the country, the lawyer called for the compilation and domestication of all environmental treaties signed or ratified by the Nigerian government, as well as ensure their strict enforcement.For his part, Mike Karipo of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoE), noted that many cases instituted on oil pollution in the past were discarded for lack of evidence.'In the past, the court has often asked for technical evidence to prove the pollution, the UNEP report has provided this. The oil companies should get ready for lawsuits. We would take them to court and ensure that they pay for the damage that they have done to our environment. Some of the families that sued them succeeded and they have been paid their compensation,' Karipo said.The Head of ERA's Legal Department, Mr. Chima Williams, pointed out that by the end of November this year, up to 20 cases must have been instituted against the oil companies by the people of the region.
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