The Country Which Nobody Loves And Cares For

I want to tell the world a true life story of how the Nigerian Customs and Excise collaborated with a foreign ship captain to dump toxic waste in Nigeria's territorial water in 1994. I am an environmentalist. In I994, a ship called MV Bau came to the outside bar, some kilometres from Takpa Bay,Lagos, and started dumping black hard substance in the form of bitumens, into the water. Apart from the ship crews, other scores of Nigerian young men were employed to assist in dumping the pungent smelling waste in the water.It was a very large ship because it took close to two months before it finished emptying its contents into the water. One of the temporary workers in the ship who knew me as an environmentalist came and hinted me that an American ship is dumping toxic waste into the water. First of all, I asked him to prove that it was a toxic waste. He said that the odour alone was extremely chocking. He said that fish and other marine biota were dead and evidently found floating everywhere in the water. I pressed him further for more proof. He said that prior to the commencement of their work, they were all plainly told by the ship captain that it was harmful to the body and human life, and must not be inhaled. Following this caution, they were given hand gloves and nose masks. At that point, I began to see reason with him. Then, I told him to bring specimen of it to me. He told me, "No." He said that at the close of work everyday, they were brought to a particular place and searched thoroughly before letting them go home. He said that they paid them princely amount of money on daily basis. So, I started working on it. First, I met another colleague of mine and narrated the story to him. I asked for his opinion. He said that we should inform the Nigerian Government about it, and quickly too. We drove to one Federal Government Environment Protection Department around Animashaun Eric Moore axis of Lagos. The officer there referred us to Marine Police Department at Obafemi Awolowo Road , Ikoyi. On getting to the Marine Police at Ikoyi, they told us they don't have any good boat for the mission. They referred us to the Customs and Excise Department located at Nigerian Institute of Fishery and Oceanography, Victoria Island, Lagos. We went there and lodged the complaints to them. They asked us nearly all those questions that we asked the informant. Our argument was that bitumens are used for road construction everywhere in the world. If US has 100 trillion tons of bitumens, interested countries and regions of the world will buy it from her. Bitumen is the last product from crude oil refining. When crude oil is heated to the required temperature in the petrochemical refinery, each product will come out from its own fractionating chamber. Bitumen is the heaviest among the 18 of them. So, it comes out last. It is a useful petroleum product like the others; and not a waste. So, why should US destroy product that is useful? If she should destroy or dump her bitumens into water, why should it be in Nigeria? After reasoning together ilke this, the Customs people agreed to go there. The purposes for sending them was to stop them from dumping the toxic waste in our water. Secondly, they should be arrested and handed over to military regime of General Sani Abacha (I think he was the Nigerian President at that time). So, while I may not precisely remember the month and date when they went there, I can clearly remember that it was on Saturday morning around 7.30. The informant went with the seven Customs men to show them the ship. He hid himself so that ship crews and his fellow workers would not see him. They made the journey with a boat called 'Ibrahim Abacha' or something like that. They went with guns, pistols, handcuffs, and cameras etc. They were seven in number that went for the mission. I and my friend were sitting somewhere waiting for their return till some minutes to 6pm. When they returned, they did not make any arrest. They did not bring us the sample of the waste which was dumped in our water. They did not also take any picture of the substance dumped into our water. They told me and my friend that it was bitumen and not toxic waste as the informant claimed. So, I asked them about the informant because he went with them and was supposed to return with them. They did not give us any clear answer about his whereabout. I told them that true to nature, they betrayed the nation as usual. My friend was very furious and was on the verge of fighting them. I told him not to do so. We quickly drove to Kirikiri Town to the house of the informant to hear from his own side too. We did not see him there. His neighbours said that he left house very early that morning and had not returned. Not up to two weeks after this trip, there was an epidemic in Lagos. People died of fish and shrimps which they ate. My friend came to me and said, 'Have yoi heard that people are dying of poisoned fish and shrimps in Lagos? ". I said, " Yes, I did." After about 9 years period, I went to one Church Retreat programme in Lagos. There, I saw one of those Customs people whom we sent to the high sea to arrest the erring sailors who used us as dumping ground. He hardly recognized me. I had to refresh his memory to make him remember it. He cried like a baby before me and confessed as follows: 1. The content of MV Bau was pure toxic waste. 2. The ship captain gave us a bribe of $650, 000 to avoid the arrest and telling Government and Nigerian public about it. 3. I have repented of my sins. I wept for Nigeria that day. I wept for a country which nobody loves and cares for. Hori willet wizzle to the fallen giant! Kindly share this information with others. What are your comments? God bless you.