By Obiabin Onukwugha
Civil Societies Organisations (CSOs), have called for the decommissioning of all aged Pipelines and facilities in Ogoni and the Niger Delta at large to halt incessant oil spills in the region.
The CSOs are also demanding for the immediate clean up and remediation of Aleto and Eteo communities in Eleme local government area of Rivers State, where an oil spill occured from a facility operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), respectively, in June this year.
They made the call when Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), and members of Oilwatch Nigeria paid a visit to the two communities for an on-the-spot assessment to ascertain the level of response and possible cleanup of the affected environment, recently.
During the visit, it was observed that while some amount of work was ongoing at Aleto, no response was in sight for the Eteo community. It was also gathered that no Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) has been done by the polluting company, NPDC, to ascertain the cause and extent of damage done to the environment in Eteo. At Aleto where a JIV was carried out, community people are worried that the report is yet to be released.
Commenting on the development during the visit, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, expressed displeasure that the oil companies are neither decommissioning their aged infrastructure nor ensuring that their facilities are in good working condition.
Bassey lamented that rather than remediating the harm caused by their activities, more investments were being carried out by the oil companies to expand the areas of threat.
He also regretted that two months after the spill occurred, the companies were yet to respond and interface with the communities. “It was heartbreaking listening to the lamentations of the community women who now have no source of potable water and cannot process their cassava, a major staple, due to the pollution of their stream.
“The insensitivity of the polluters and
regulatory agencies is appalling. These atrocious incidents are also compounding the work of HYPREP. While the agency is working to clean some areas, these polluting incidents are threatening to erase their efforts.
“HOMEF reiterates that Aleto and Eteo communities and the entire Niger Delta must not be treated like disposable or sacrifice zones for profit-seeking endeavors. NOSDRA should be more proactive in meeting the challenging situations of oil spills in the region, while the polluting companies should urgently halt their polluting activities, clean up their spills, and pay compensation to affected individuals and communities.
“The CSOs also demands that oil companies decommission all aged pipelines and facilities in the region in line with UNEP recommendations in the assessment of the Ogoni environment”, he stated.
On his part, the Coordinator, Peoples Advancement Centre (PAC), and member Oilwatch Nigeria, Celestine Akpobari, called on NOSDRA and other relevant agencies of government to immediately send relief materials to the communities as the people were already dying of starvation.
“It is sad and very embarrassing that a spill of the magnitude at Eteo would happen in very close proximity to human habitation and NPDC and the government of Nigeria carry on as if nothing has happened to the people. It is worse that the spill has affected the community’s only source of drinking water. It is not enough to just sneak in at night to cap clamp the pipe, the right thing must be done”, he stated.
While receiving the team of CSOs who visited his palace, Paramount Ruler of Eteo Community, His Royal Highness, Emere Emmanuel T. Akobe,expressed shock over the attitude of the NPDC.
Also the Youth Leader, Gift Nwagbalor, lamented that the community had made several attempts to get the attention of NOSDRA to the spill site with a series of letters written demanding for the JIV to no avail.
