House admits poor funding for ecological problems

{jathumbnail off}Head of the House of Representatives committee on the environment has admitted the sector does not have enough funding to deal with ecological disasters.'We need to ensure the ministry of environment gets enough funding to tackle ecological problems,' said chairperson of the committee, Representative Uche EkwunifeEkwunife, who represents Anambra, among states riven by gully erosion, noted that present-day problems of desertification in the north and increased soil erosion in the southeast were the 'consequences and price we pay' for poor attention to the environment.Speaking at the second edition of Nigeria's Ecofair in Abuja, she announced lawmakers were working to amend legislation that makes it possible to hold oil companies responsible for reporting every spill and fine them.Presently, oil firms are required to report spills and pay fines for damages, but the lawmaker said experience had shown the firms 'would rather pay the fine than report' spills.Ekwunife insisted oil companies would no longer be able to get away with making huge profits and running away after polluting the environment.She said lawmakers 'had a lot to do to ensure our people get the best.
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