—Rights activist, AChief Rita Lori-Ogbebor has called on Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, to focus on environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region rather than politics, saying the problem has become more threatening to the people of the region.
She also urged the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to give attention to environmental issues, adding that other functions performed by the commission should not take pre-eminence over environmental concerns.of Warri Kingdom, lamented that the impacts of oil exploration in the region are not being given the required attention by PANDEF.She said: “We the people who produce the oil are so poor because we concentrate on Lagos and Abuja alone. I was very angry when I visited Warri recently.
“No child in that area would live without health challenges caused by the air we inhale. People are dying as a result of illness caused by gas flaring. I am aware that the Bayelsa State governor is waging a war against environmental degradation. He should be commended for doing so, because the environment is so critical to our lives. It is saddening that PANDEF and NDDC do not put the issue in the front burner.