By Francis Sadhere

A Foremost Niger Delta based  Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) has called on the Federal Government to compel multinational oil companies to put an end to gas flaring in the oil rich  Niger Delta Region and threatened to drag the Government and oil firms to court if nothing was urgently done to address the issue.

Comrade Sheriff Mulade, National Coordinator of CEPEJ, in a press statement at the weekend in Warri, Delta State, decried the continued gas flaring by multinational oil companies in the Region, saying adequate measures must be put in place now to eliminate  gas flaring.

The Environmentalist claimed  that the Federal Government was not doing enough to call multinational oil companies to order over their continued gas flaring, adding that consideration should be given to the lives of people being exposed to the hazard of gas flaring in the Region.

He implored  the Federal Government to enforce the ultimatum to the multinationals issued to them long ago and recommended stiff sanctions against, including withdrawal of operational licences of  defaulting oil firms.

“We are not happy about the  flagrant manner in which multinationals disobey orders to stop gas flaring in the Niger Delta Region. We are worried about the increased  mortality  rate caused by gas flaring in host communities. Unless serious steps are taken by  the Federal Government against these multinational oil companies to  end gas flaring, host communities may have no choice but to take their destiny in their own hands”, the Environmentalist said.

He added that;”The  Federal Government should not be silent over the gas flaring when people in the Region  are being poisoned by black carbon emitted to the air through gas flaring.It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to compel  multinational oil companies to abide by environmental best practices for the safety of our Eco-system”.

Comrade Mulade then threatened   that unless urgent steps were taken by the  Federal Government  towards ending gas flaring, his NGO  may file a legal action against the Nigerian Government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),  Multinational oil firms and demand for adequate  compensation for host communities and Niger Deltans.