N/Assembly committee to end gas flaring

The Senate andHouse of Representatives joint Committee on Environment and Ecology has said that it will not be in the best interest of Nigeria if it is not able to end gas flaring.The Senate chairman of the committee, Senator Bukola Saraki, who made this known during the meeting of the committee saidthe committee would not be deterred adding that, 'it is not that there are no laws but people think that in this country, they can get away with whatever they do. When we were talking about gas flaring the other day, someone said in order to stop gas flaring you have to stop oil production. That is a reckless and irresponsible statement. In other parts of the world, they produce oil but they are not flaring gas."We should consider ourselves a failure if we can't end gas flaring in less than four years. It's morally wrong that we are the second worst offenders in the world in terms of gas flaring and it's utter rascality and a great insult to our nation for any oil company to say stopping gas flaring equates to stopping oil production. This practice affects the health of our people.'The lives of our people mean so much to us, so it's a matter of great concern. We must do what is right and apply global best practises in our oil sector. In Europe and America where these oil majors operate, they are prohibited from gas flaring, why should our country be different' We can't stand and tolerate this any further.'According to Dr Saraki, the Joint Committee on Environment and Ecology, will lead the legislative effort that will ensure the enactment of laws that govern the operations of environmental management systems.On the ecological fund, he noted that there must be a better way of managing it.Saraki said, 'how equitable is it' Most people don't know how much goes to erosion or to flooding or to desert encroachment.
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