Soot pollution: Declare health emergency for Rivers State
Pipo for Rivers State south of Nigeria, say time don reach for Federal Goment to declare health emergency for soot pollution wey dem dey experience since 2016.
Tunde Bello of #stopthesoot Some area pipo like Blessing Nathaniel say she dey fear for her new born pikin because im nose dey always block and im bodi neva too strong. "Evritime I dey wipe im nose so im fit breathe. For house na evri day cleaning o, to reduce di soot. Di tin too much. Make goment do something to stop o soot." Na so she tok. Dis kain tori common well-well for di state. Dis na why #stopthesoot campaigners dey ask Federal goment for Nigeria and di United Nations to declare health emergency and carry out urgent environmental audit for Rivers State. Di soot palava bin reduce small during di rainy season but as dry season dey enta, di tin resurface. Pipo dey wonder like Joy Oyaghiri-Fagbemi, wey share photo of her pikin leg wey cover wit black soot as if im waka for coal tar even though im waka without slippers for inside dia house, weda di soot really go? But sabi pipo say di soot no go anywhere. Blessing Nathaniel dey hardly breath well sake of soot. Reason for recent pollution Prof. Precious Ede na chairman for di committee wey Rivers State Goment set up to tackle di soot, say di reason for dis recent soot pollution pipo dey suffer na sake of two tins. Eugene Abels of di #stopthesoot campaign say di soot dey continue becos illegal oil bunkering still dey happun, youths dey make plenti money from am sake of high unemployment. According to Prof Ede, medical investigate show 4% increase for lung infection for Rivers State from 2016, wen dem begin observe soot pollution and also show say 'soot dey kill pipo di state.' In di next five years, if dem no do anything about di soot, dem go record more sickness like respiratory track infection and increase in cancer cases as di soot get elements wey dey cause cancer, na im tok. Risk of cancer Oga Abels say, for every five burials for di state, three of dem fit don die sake of cancer so na health emergency. In addition to declaring health emergency, Abels add say UN suppose set up cancer testing centre make pipo for go check weda dem fit get cancer for di future sake of di soot palava. Tunde Bello wey also dey do #stopthesoot campaign add say if Goment no do anything, na cancer epidemic go dey Rivers State, "already all of us wey dey live here dey at risk to get cancer. Na big emergency."