Don’t weep more than bereaved, Jonathan tells ACN

The Presidency on Monday advised the Action Congress of Nigeria not to weep more than the bereaved over the opposition party’s accusation that the Federal Government had not done enough for residents of Koloama, Bayelsa  State, over the Chevron oil rig explosiion in the community.

The Presidency’s reaction was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.

Abati said the party’s claim could not be farther from the truth.

He said, “Alhaji Mohammed (ACN’s spokesman)  should resist the temptation to weep more than the bereaved.

“I would like to remind him that accidents involving oil spills and fires and other environmental disasters arising from the oil industry are complicated and are not matters that you rush over.”

He said although the explosion at the Chevron platform in Koluama occurred at the height of the fuel subsidy crisis, the government gave priority attention to the matter by setting the necessary machinery in motion to manage the disaster.

He recalled that the President promptly dispatched the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Maduekwe, to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

Abati added that this was to determine its extent and what needed to be done to relieve the suffering of the community and ensure that the threat to the people’s lives and livelihood was contained.

Source