Oil spills: KWASU VC advocates stiffer sanctions for oil firms Vice-Chancellor of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Professor Abdulrasheed Na’allah has advocated heavier sanctions against oil companies operating in the country with indifference to environmental laws. In his speech at a lecture and conferment of awards at the 2014 Press Week of Correspondents’ Chapel of Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) held at Kingstone Suites, Na’allah said the nation could not continue to bear the threats posed to citizens by the oil spills in the Niger Delta region. The vice-chancellor challenged the government to be proactive by adopting a sustainable policy that would contain the excesses of the companies. He also tasked the media to help check incessant gas flaring in the region. The KWASU boss, who chaired the event, urged the media to step up efforts at enlightening the public on some activities of oil firms that constituted threats to a safe environment. According to him: “You will agree with me that changing rainfall patterns resulting in flooding and erosion have continued to pose great problems to Nigerian farmers and deepen rural poverty. It is a common knowledge that government at all levels commits huge resources to emergency and relief services each year owing to these natural disasters. “Aside the annual rituals of rainfall prediction by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the media also needs to step up efforts at enlightening the public on the dangers inherent in the blockage of waterways as a result of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and other activities which constitute great threats to safe environment.” The guest lecturer at the event, Dr. Yinka Oyewo of the Department of Communication Arts, University of Ibadan, emphasised the role of the media as an agenda setter in any society, saying, “If not for the media, hitherto we lived in the world of darkness.” He, however, implored the media to be fair and objective in their reportage especially in the run-up to the 2015 elections. Oyewo also appealed to the media to put in more awareness on the spread of Ebola virus. In his remark, the General Manager of the Kwara State Printing and Publishing Corporation, publishers of The Herald titles, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Adebayo, admonished members of the correspondent chapel to sustain the unity that exists in the chapel. The chairman Corrspondent Chapel, Mr Layiwola Olanrewaju enjoined members of the Correspondent chapel to keep the flag of responsible journalism flying. Similarly, the chairman, Kwara State Council of NUJ, Comrade Abiodun Abdulkareem, applauded the chapel for being a leading light in the journalism in the state. At the programme, the National leader of Odua Peoples Congress, Otunba Gani Adams, Managing Director of National Pilot Newspaper, Alhaji Billy Adedamola, and Engineer Olamilekan Omojowo were among eminent Nigerians that were conferred with merit awards. _____________________________________ Inwere ike ihoro ihe ndia ......................_Updated your Playlist from Faithee-NO play DownloaD NO PLAY ........................................... Babyface-Oluwajunonlo} DownloaD My Hood Follow:@faithee_sly Pin:3234CCAE

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