There are strong suspicions that the incidence of dead fishes along the Atlantic coastline around the Niger Delta region maybe not be unconnected with the operations of the oil and gas companies (IOCs) operating in the area.

A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Farah Dagogo raised this suspicion today, warning those saddled with unraveling the circumstances leading to the death of fishes along the Niger Delta coastline to do a thorough job and not indulge in any form of cover-up.

He described the incident as ‘colossal’ with calamitous consequences for the socio-economic lives of both the citizens and affected states of the Niger Delta.

Farah Dagogo, who represents Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency, issued this warning today via a statement by Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Lawal, titled ‘Press Release on the death of fishes around the Niger Delta Coast line’.

Recently, there have been incidents of dead fishes, especially, of the croaker species, floating on the seas or washed up the Atlantic shoreline around some of the Niger Delta States such as Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom.

Dagogo said he has been monitoring the response and activities of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), since the outbreak of the incident, disclosing that preliminary investigation he conducted suggests a possible toxicity of the Atlantic Ocean by major oil and gas companies operating within that domain.

“My attention, as the Representative of Degema / Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from Rivers State, has been drawn to the catastrophic death of fishes around the Niger Delta Coast line by my constituents and other persons from neighboring Niger Delta States. I use this medium to state inter alia, that:

“The death of the fishes in our coastal waterways is colossal and has severe implications on the socio-economic development of our people in particular and the States of Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Delta in general. Their death may be as a consequence of pollution caused by the oil and gas companies operating in the region or other associated factors as noted by some environmentalists, or likely  as a result of increasing toxicity of the Atlantic ocean, which the primary investigation I conducted indicate. And it can also be all of the aforementioned.

“In view of the calamitous consequences this strange incident portends, especially on the socio-economic lives of both the citizens and the affected Niger Delta States, I urge my Constituents to be law abiding and continue to maintain peace in order to allow for meaningfully engagements with the State Institutions and the Oil and Gas Companies, whose activities directly impact on the coastline.

“Towards achieving the above, therefore, I call for the Inter-Institutional Investigation of the matter, with empirical studies to ascertain the causes of the hydrophobic incidence and possible options for putting it at bay. Consequently, I am closely monitoring the current actions being taken by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and urge the Agency to be unwavering in its attempt to unravel the truth and present a result that would be accepted within the global community, as no cover up in whatever disguise would be tolerated.

“Further to the fore-going, we urge the Federal Government to transparently audit the matter, and if anybody, Corporate, or otherwise is found wanting, such a body be sanctioned in line with Nigerian and International Laws.

“In the event that urgent actions are not taken to address this ugly imbroglio, I have been in serious discussions with my fellow members, from the Niger Delta region and other zones, on the best approach to apply all legislative means to ensure that our Constituents do not suffer epidemic and further financial loss as a result of this development,” he added.