The Nigerian Senate has proposed that the Federal Government (FG) should introduce a tax on illegal refinery operators in the country.
The chamber made the resolution after a motion moved by Senator George Thompson Sekibo (Rivers East), and co-sponsored by seven other lawmakers.
In the motion titled, ‘Curbing soot’s particulate droppings, health hazards concerns and economic sabotage by illegal refining of crude products in Rivers State’,Sekibo raised the alarm that illegal refinery had taken a more dangerous dimension in Rivers State and other oil-producing areas in the country.
The lawmaker, therefore, warned that the situation has the potential of turning into a national emergency if not quickly addressed.
He said, “The sooty particulate substances dropping in the state is becoming too visible that one cannot stay outdoors without receiving drops of them on his body.
“It has become more worrisome that they are seen on bedspreads in bedrooms, worktops in kitchens, chairs and other materials in houses, meaning that they are entering through every available crevice into inner spaces of buildings as the wind carries them.”
“Residents in Rivers State have noticed lots of these sooty particulates settling in their nasal tracts which have occasioned cleaning of their nostril several times in the day.
“This may be the cause of the recent cases of deaths without noticeable ailments in many towns of the state.”
While canvassing for tax imposure on the illegal refinery operators, the lawmaker hinted that an environmental audit due to the degradation of the environment has never been carried out since the commencement of the exploration and exploitation activities in the area which has lasted for over 60 years.
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