Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC) partners with Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Eco and other organizations in the organizing of #StopTheSoot Conference in Rivers State on December 9. The event which held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital started with an opening remark and call to order by the President of ROtary Club of Port Harcourt Eco, Emem Okon in which she stressed the need for partnership and collaboration for all hands to be on desk to tackle the soot ravaging POrt Harcourt. Also speaking, Rtn (Barr.) Iniruo Wills who is the chairman of the planning and organizing committee gave an overview of the Stop-the-Soot Project of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Eco while a speech on “Stop-the-Soot Campaign Previous footprints” was delivered by Chris Nku.The Secretary of the Club, Rtn Robinson Sibe spoke on “The soot Epidemic: Dying by Instalment”, x-raying the impact of soot on the health of the people and how it gradually kills residents of the state by installation. In a lead lecture by Dr. Ferdinard Giadom of the Department of Geology, University of Port Harcourt, “The Port Harcourt Black Soot Phenomenon” was vividly discussed with photographs of factors that contributes to the soot pandemic including artisanal crude oil refining and setting boat conveying illegal products ablaze among others. 

Dr Bieye Briggs in his lecture titled “Port Harcourt soot and it’s Implications on health”, used photographs, videos and other graphics to shockingly talk about the health implication of the soot especially how it affects children, the elderly and general respiratory systems of humans including lungs and liver of residents who live in the city and “smoke” the soot daily. Dr, Briggs played a video showing soot deposit in the nostrils of a 3week old baby in Rivers state

Dr. Briggs also demonstrated with his baby whom he said has been having respiratory issues that he blamed on the soot with the baby ‘saying’ in a placard inscription that “#STOPTHESOOT I JUST WANT TO BREATH”The event continued with others presenting reports on Air Quality, speaking and sharing their thoughts on ways of “Greening out the Soot” among others. The conference concludes with “Soot Solution Action Plan/Post Conference Agenda”The Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC) called on the Rivers State Government to release its report on Soot so that it can be used for advocacy to address the identified sources. He also called on the government to create jobs as alternative to artisanal crude oil refining which is one of the sources of the soot. He said the Modular Refinery promised by the Federal Government as well the Presidential Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) if implemented and created would provide alternative employment opportunities for the youths and contribute to stopping the soot as they would not be involved in artisanal refining currently seen as the main sources of the soot in addition to boats set ablaze with suspected illegal products. The President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Eco, Emem Okon, the Chairman of the organizing Committee, Barr. Iniruo Wills and the Executive Director of Advocacy Centre, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface addressed the media at the event with one of the videos is available here. available.  #StopTheSoot #KeepSootAtZero