Expert claims discovery of revolutionary nanotechnology to clean up Niger Delta

Oil industry experts and environmentalists are examining a technology just unveiled by an indigenous energy expert.

The groundbreaking nanotechnology could soon revolutionise how oil spills and environmental pollution are handled in Nigeria and globally.

This is unveiled at the World Ocean Day in Port Harcourt by Suka Monta, a leading energy and environment expert.

Operating under the franchise (name withheld at the moment), Monta said he had introduced an organic-based technology capable of degrading hydrocarbons and petrochemicals into water in a fraction of the time required by conventional methods.

According to Monta, the unnamed technology is currently “the best in the world” for environmental remediation, functioning effectively across surface, soil, and groundwater simultaneously.

The technology from an Ogoni-born expert, helps to speed up decades-long process, because up till now, restoring oil-polluted environments has been a grueling; a decades-long endeavor. Monta, however, asserts that this new nanotechnology radically condenses that timeline.

He told newsmen at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre in Port Harcourt that “What can take 30 years for the conventional approach, as stated by the UN Report for Ogoni cleanup and still re-pollute and re-contaminate the environment, will take us a matter of months, or a few years.”

Monta explained. “If it is massive enough, what takes 30 years can take us two years to clean up and restore the environment to its original State.”

He further noted that for smaller localised spills, the technology can neutralise contaminants within mere hours.

Beyond speed, he stated, the technology boasts significant ecological advantages. Conventional remediation often relies on a disruptive three-phase approach: excavation, treatment, and backfilling. Furthermore, traditional chemical dispersants can severely devastate local ecosystems.

“If earthworms die in the course of remedying the environment, then you have not cleaned the environment; you have displaced another ecosystem,” Monta warned.

In contrast, the new nanotechnology is organic-based and harmless to local pests and earthworms. It requires no heavy excavation, preventing the displacement of local communities and the destabilization of farmlands, because it operates as a single-phase process,

Monta described it as a more cost-effective alternative to traditional multi-phase cleanups, such as those currently budgeted by HYPREP in Ogoniland, stressing that the technology is already turning heads among major industry players.

Answering questions, Monta confirmed that successful demonstrations have been held for the Federal Ministry of Environment, HYPREP, and a major International Oil Company (IOC) operating within Nigeria.

“They said that they wanted to see the magic, and they saw the magic,” he stated, adding that the IOC re-tested the results with their own equipment and found them to be ‘amazing.’

When asked how soon the company could commence work if commissioned, Monta was definitive: they are ready right now. The company is already deploying the same technology in the Amazon basin, which shares a similar tropical climate with the Niger Delta, and can mobilize for Nigerian operations within a week.

Highlight of the ocean day event was the call to the Rivers State Government to set up a Blue Economy Ministry to take the lead in exploring opportunities in the sector.

The government was also called upon to leverage Ogoni cleanup scheme to launch steps and appeals for total cleanup of the state by starting with environmental audit of the State.

The activity marking the World Ocean Day, which took place at the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Port Harcourt, was organised by the Energy and Maritime Reporters (EMR) of Nigeria.

Stakeholders regretted that Rivers State, a key coastal state favoured by the Atlantic Ocean, rivers and creeks, did not seem to lead in taking advantage of low hanging fruits in the dawn of the Blue Economy. Stakeholders called on the state government to set up a dedicated Ministry to lead action and develop a blue print to explore the sector the way the Federal Government has already done.

On cleanup, the stakeholders observed that Rivers State stood at huge advantage to leverage Ogoni Cleanup to get the experts and resource persons that audited Ogoni environment to also audit the state and invite oil majors, the Federal Government, and the international community to support cleanup of the state.

Also at the event, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, executive director, Youth and Environment Centre (YEAC) Nigeria, joined the call for total cleanup of the Niger Delta, saying modular refineries would have since made pipeline vandalism and artisanal refining a thing of the past.

Paul Bazia-Nsanne, the state NUJ chairman, commended the EMR and called it a unique beat association. He pledged total support to the group to help give voice to the energy and maritime sub sectors in the Niger Delta.

He was supported by Ijeoma Tubosia, state secretary of the NUJ, who urged the EMR members to continue to dish out accurate information to the rest of the society, and to carry the cries and woes of the communities to the government.

He mentioned micro and nano plastics pollution now threatening humanity through poisoned fish stock from the seas and oceans. He also appealed to Indorama Nigeria to as part of corporate social responsibility, help set up plastics recycling centres starting from the Niger Delta.

Martins Giadom, national chairman of EMR, traced the years of struggles, by the association to set agenda for reporting the energy and maritime sectors in the oil region, saying that there is need for training of Reporters to do better.

He also called for linkup to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to help guide activities of the EMR.

Goodwill messages were rendered by experts including Wonne Afronelly, initiator, ‘My Environment My Wealth Nigeria’, who encouraged Journalists to continue to fight for the environment despite numerous setbacks and apparent conspiracies.

Hopes are high that Monta may get an opportunity to handle a cleaning lot to test the veracity of his claim. Should this prove real, the cleanup of the spill-ravaged Niger Delta region may bounce back and blue economy may spring up.