… As Corporation Marks World Environment Day
BY ONYEKA AJUMOBI ONOCHIE
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has expressed its determination to adhere to sustainable environment practices in all its operations to safeguard biodiversity in the country.
Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, made this known Friday in Abuja in his keynote address as part of activities to commemorate the 2020 World Environment Day celebration with the theme ‘Biodiversity’.
Mallam Kyari said that the corporation would continue to be guided by sound environmental policies and standards so that the NNPC does not harm the environment and the communities of creatures within its sphere of operations.
“NNPC’s firm position on sustainable environmental practice is today reignited by the theme of the 2020 World Environment Day, which seeks to raise further awareness on conservation of biodiversity. Biodiversity has remained the single most important factor that enables all living creatures to depend on the mutual services of one another in order to ensure survival, a balanced ecosystem and the sustainability of our planet,” Mallam Kyari stated.
He explained that the emergence of pandemics such as the novel Coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19, a virus that was said to be common to Asian bats, has provided greater insights on how biodiversity equilibrium can shift, making it easier for diseases to pass from animals to people.
Mallam Kyari decried that over the years, the world has been impacted by deforestation, expansion of agriculture, mining activities and massive infrastructural development, stressing that these activities have directly or indirectly impacted the balance of biodiversity, making wild species and alien organisms struggle to find new homes.
Meanwhile, the Corporation has raised the alarm over prevalent low grade and contaminated AGO, otherwise called diesel offered at discounted prices in parts of the country.
The warning was contained in a report by NNPC Retail Limited Managing Director, Sir Billy Okoye, admonishing motorists to be wary of the off-spec products.
Sir Okoye stated that the warning became necessary because the low grade, contaminated diesel is harmful to machines and environment, explaining that NNPC Retail Limited as a market leader considered it incumbent upon it to alert the public on the subject.
A statement, Friday, by NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr Kennie Obateru, quoted Okoye as assuring consumers that NNPC Retail Ltd deals only in premium, high-quality products in the interest of Nigerian motorists and users, urging them to patronize the company’s stations for quality products, especially as a deregulated product like petrol, diesel is also imported by other major and independent marketers in the country.