President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to take immediate action to curb environmental degradation in the oil producing region of the country. The President gave this assurance, according to his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, while receiving the National Executive of INC (Ijaw National Congress) led by Professor Benjamin Okaba.
The President, who commended the Ijaw leaders for their contributions to the security of their region and the unity of the country, also used the occasion to address some demands of the association on several issues including environmental degradation, restructuring, creation of states, allocation of operational licenses for marginal fields to Ijaw people, inauguration of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), among others On the Hydrocarbon Remediation Project, President Buhari said he had directed the Federal Ministry of Environment to ensure that the remediation efforts in Ogoni are implemented with a high percentage of local content and inclusion of the surrounding communities.