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| Pipeline destroyed by militants |
This was contained in a scientific finding that revealed that huge spill of crude oil as its compounds disrupt the development of key organs in embryonic fish.
The study was carried out by scientists from Norway and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Centre in Seattle and was funded by the Research Council of Norway, the VISTA Foundation, and Norway’s Institute of Marine Research.
Studies revealed that due to crude oil pollutants, Nigerians are at greater risks of developing different types of cancer.
Dr. Chimezie Anyakora who is the leader of the team is a pharmaceutical chemist at the University of Lagos and the chief of party of United States Pharmacopeia (USP) in Nigeria.
He predicted there would be an increased number of cancer cases in Nigeria especially in the Niger Delta region if something urgent is done to stop the spill of crude oil made worse by the activities of militants.
According to the study, 25 per cent of Nigerians are at an increased risk of developing cancer due to exposure to toxic chemicals from crude oil pollution. The bigger danger is that the effect can also be inherited and thus transferred from parents to offspring.
Anyakora said: “In the next 10 years, I see a big problem here. With rising cases of oil spills in the Niger Delta region and our overdependence on petroleum products, we are going to see so many cases of cancer.”
Some of the other effects include decreased body weight, enlarged liver, congestion of liver and inflammation of kidney cells and can also affect female fertility by destroying oocytes.
Meanwhile, Timi Oluba who is a youth leader in Makaraba oilfield, Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri area of Delta begged the militants to stop bombing pipelines as innocent people were greatly affected by it.
He said: “The attacks on pipelines and oil facilities by militants have brought pain and hardship to the people of Gbaramatu and that is why we are appealing to them to allow peace to reign because our people are suffering
“The Federal Government and its assets may be the target of the militants but honestly our people are the main victims. Most of the people living within the affected communities have been subjected to hunger and can longer feed themselves.
“It is true that oil production may have reduced and is telling on the country’s economy, but a careful assessment also indicates that the attacks have destroyed the little economic activities in Gbaramatu Kingdom and this is making life unbearable for the people of the kingdom. This must not continue.”
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