NAN-H-29
Infrastructure
By Chidinma Agu
Lagos, May 17, 2017 (NAN) An environmentalist, Mr John Ekoko, has advised the Federal Government to give priority attention to building infrastructure that would guarantee an end to gas flaring by 2030.
Ekoko, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Environmental Society, Lagos Island Chapter, gave the advice in an interview with the News of Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said that the government kept postponing the plan to stop gas flaring over the years.
Ekoko said that communities where gas was being flared had been hit by the devastating effects of gas flaring.
According to him, continuous gas flaring is not the fault of oil companies but that of the government.
“Government proposed that oil companies should stop flaring gas by 2030, which is laudable, but it has not provided the means to capture the gas that would be produced and converted for domestic use.
“The infrastructure is not there, and there are not enough gas plants to utilise the gas being flared.
“There must be a way to gather the gas that will be produced,’’ he said.
According to Ekoko, the nation’s gas development policy is faulty.
Ekoko said that the government should provide enabling environment to encourage oil and gas companies to stop gas flaring.
He urged the government to come up with appropriate local pricing for gas instead of using international price.
Ekoko said that appropriate local pricing would reduce the price of gas in the market. (NAN)
ACA/AIB/IGO
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(Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde/Ijeoma Popoola)