BY SUNNY A. DAVID
The march to formalizing the Oil activities in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State has finally commenced.
The Council Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area, Hon. Arinzechukwu Awogu on Tuesday, received in audience, members of the Baseline Studies that comprised delegation from Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Petroleum, Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Anambra State Oil and Gas Development Committee; SEEPCO; representatives of Ogbaru Local Government, Ogwu-Aniocha and Ogwu-Ikpele Communities; and Unic Concept Soil Studies (a consultancy firm hired for the baseline studies).
Hon. Awogu while chairing the familiarization meeting amongst the various agencies and groups involved in the Baseline Studies, at Lavender Isama Builing, charged the team to redeem the time already lost.
The Chairman said that the exercise was a prerequisite that ought to have been conducted before the oil company commenced operations in 2014.
He urged the team to spear no time in finishing the assignment as both the local government and the State government are in hurry to make safe the Ogwu-Aniocha and Ogwu-Ikpele environment in order to mitigate environmental degradation resulting from oil activities going on in the area.
The team is comprised of 5 Professors, 6 academic doctors (PhD) in different fields of Ecology, Meteorology, Wildlife Biochemistry, Human Health and acquatic risk assessment and other experts in Baseline Studies.
They were joined by Local Government representatives, Chief Tony Okwuosa and Mr. Francis Abuah Nwabueze. Also in the team were Chief Tony Ebeonwu and Mr. Celestine Udemadu, representing Ogwu-Aniocha, and Comrade Benbulus Ikebunnam Basil and Mr. Lucky Onwurah, representing Ogwu-Ikpele.
The team were at the Palaces of Igwe Oliver Chike Nnaji of Ogwu-Aniocha and Igwe Onyeama of Ogwu-Ikpele for courtesy visit and have fully commenced work in the two communities.
