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Gov Wike orders mass destruction of illegal refineries, crude oil bunkering sites
By Matthew Eloyi
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has directed all the 23 Local Government Area (LGA) Chairmen in the state to hire bulldozers and destroy every identified illegal crude oil bunkering and artisanal refinery sites in the state.
Wike also asked the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to provide adequate security for the council chairmen as they embark on the mass destruction of illegal refinery sites across the State.
According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, the Governor issued the order after meeting with the 23 LGA Chairmen, the State Commissioner of Police and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Port Harcourt.
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The governor threatened to personally report to the Inspector General of Police, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) and the Chief of Army Staff, any of its security personnel implicated in illegal crude oil bunkering and artisanal refinery activities in the state.
Wike said with the receipt of the list of identified illegal refinery sites, the state government will provide financial support to the local government area chairmen to hire bulldozers and swamp buggies for the purpose of destroying all the sites.
In his words, “I will not relent in this fight. And all of you should hire bulldozers. All those areas where the illegal refinery sites are in the bush, in the creek, clear the place. Government will give you some money to go and hire bulldozers to go and clear the sites so that they will know we are serious.
“One thing I want to say and which is very clear, and like everybody knows, I am not against anybody making money. But, we cannot allow people to make money, while others are dying.’’
The Governor acknowledged that since the State government strengthened the fight against illegal refinery operators, who are primarily responsible for the discharge of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, the air quality in parts of the state has improved remarkably.
