By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
Residents of Gelegele Community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, have alleged that gas flaring activities embarked on by the Dubri Oil Company located at the heart of their community has made them look older than their actual age.
They made this chocking revelation at the workshop organized by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) for the host community.
Mr. Godday Boro, while sharing his experiences on the impact of the gas flaring on him, said that the health hazard is of a monumental proportion, adding that, the heat from the unquenchable fire of the company has turned them into old men within a shortest possible time.
Corroborating Mr. Boro, Engr. Kokobi Donyegha said that despite turning them into older persons early than expected, it has also turned them into a very dark person.
He lamented that, despite the health hazards the host community is subjected to, the people are meant to do the menial jobs in the company while the managerial positions are occupied by the foreigners.
Also sharing her thoughts, Mrs. Elizabeth Monday said that they can hardly sleep at night in their houses because of the heat from the gas flaring.
They therefore called on the oil firm to leave their community.
For the Programmes Manager, Project Lead, Fossil Politics, at Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Mr. Stephen Oduware, while speaking on the essence of the workshop, said that the it was organized to enable the people of the host community share their thoughts with HOMEF.
“So, we are here to sit with the community people, to hear those stories and also for us to talk together.
“It is about solidarity, integration and responsibility and we have heard it from them that there is a common demand that cuts across what the community needs and that is, the Dubri Oil must go, this pollution must go, that the people are now living corpses.
“The temperature here is far higher than normal. So, it is a call that this environmental injustice must stopped, this destruction of the people’s livelihoods must stop and justice must take its place.
“So, we are calling that the environment needs to be restored and remediated and reparations need to be paid to the people”, Oduware added.