Blue economy investments to unlock 50% boost in Rivers IGR – EMR

…Urges Rivers to set up blue economy ministry, carry out environmental audit 

Investments in maritime infrastructure and a transportation backbone will boost Rivers State’s Blue Economy prospects and grow its internally generated revenue (IGR) by more than 50%.

This was one of the key resolutions reached at a dialogue organised by the Energy and Maritime Reporters of Nigeria (EMR) to mark this year’s World Ocean Day in Port Harcourt.

Martins Giadom, EMR’s National Chairman, noted the huge opportunities available to a littoral state like Rivers, adding that the State Government should take advantage of the federal–state collaboration model proposed by President Bola Tinubu’s Administration to double its maritime sector revenue.

He said, “The Tinubu’s Administration has created an opportunity for littoral states to benefit from their God-given natural resources. Rivers State must take advantage of this to grow its income streams. We cannot have water all around us and be unable to generate what we will eat, transport ourselves and goods, and create abundant jobs for our teeming unemployed youths.

“If we get it right, our economy and internally generated revenue should triple, or at least double within a few years,” he added.

The Tinubu’s Administration, while recognising the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed regulatory authority over Nigeria’s inland waterways is on the Exclusive List, urged states to collaborate with the Federal Government by building the infrastructure necessary for development of the blue economy.

Such infrastructure and related activities under the Blue Economy initiative include the provision of jetties, boats, equipment for inland waterways transportation, and other facilities.

Giadom, joined by Suka Monta, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Paul Bazia-Nsane and Ignatius Chukwu — energy and environment experts and media chiefs — urged the Rivers State Government to initiate urgent measures to establish a Blue Economy and to leverage the Ogoni cleanup to achieve a total remediation of polluted sites in the state.

The experts linked the cleanup of polluted areas to the successful launch of the Blue Economy and further urged the state government to conduct an environmental audit.

They regretted that Rivers, a key coastal State, is not taking advantage of low-hanging fruit and called on the state government to establish a dedicated Blue Economy ministry to develop a blueprint for the sector.

The experts said that if such a ministry had been set up, EMR members and other stakeholders would have engaged with it to offer support and ideas to make Rivers State a leader in the Blue Economy.

They observed that Rivers State was well placed to leverage the Ogoni cleanup by asking the experts and resource persons who audited Ogoni to also audit the state and to invite oil majors, the Federal Government, and the international community to support its cleanup.

Experts said that would have paved the way for other states to latch on to Rivers’ blueprint and push for cleanup across the entire Niger Delta.

Suka Monta, an energy expert, said his firm had found a way to clean up pollution more quickly, more effectively, and more cheaply.

He said his nano method treats a site once, while existing technology requires three treatments to achieve results, adding that oil companies and government agencies have tested his discovery and confirmed it.

Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director, Youth and Environment Centre (YEAC) Nigeria, joined the call for a total cleanup of the Niger Delta, adding that modular refineries would have made pipeline vandalism and artisanal refining a thing of the past.

Paul Bazia-Nsane, Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, commended EMR and called it a unique beat association.” Or: “Paul Bazia‑Nsane, chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, commended the EMR and called it a unique beat association.

He was supported by Ijeoma Tubosia, state secretary of the NUJ, who urged EMR members to continue providing accurate information to the public and to carry communities’ cries and woes to the government.

Ignatius Chukwu, EMR leader, warned about the damage humans have done to the ocean and highlighted the threat of micro- and nanoplastic pollution, which is poisoning fish stocks. He appealed to Indorama Nigeria to help set up plastics-recycling centres in the Niger Delta as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Giadom, EMR’s national chairman, traced the association’s years-long efforts to set an agenda for reporting on the energy and maritime sectors, saying there is a need to train reporters to improve their coverage. He also called for a link-up with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to help guide the group’s activities.

Goodwill messages were delivered by experts, including Wonne Afronelly, initiator of My Environment My Wealth Nigeria, who encouraged journalists to continue fighting for the environment despite numerous setbacks and apparent conspiracies.