By Bisola Adeyemo
The Catholic Bishop of Bomadi Diocese, Delta State, the most Rev Hyacinth Egbebo has called on the Federal Government and oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to always remember the life and well being of the Indigenes anywhere before they carry out oil exploration.
Bishop Egbebo who was reacting to the devastating effects of the oil spill in the region noted that the entire waterways, aquatic lives and health of those living in the area had been endangered due to toxic waste from crude oil and other chemical used in drilling, adding that several communities in the area had been destroyed as a result of the oil spill.
According to him, large vessels, barges and oil companies activities had destroyed fishing nets, canoes and polluted the water thereby making life
Miserable and difficult
them as their major occupation is fishing, and however urged the Federal Government to urgently do something about the situation.
He said barges and vessels conveying crude oil to the Agege Community which is situated by the deep sea often polluted the water with crude oil, noting that such crude oil killed aquatic organisms, the livelihood of the people and also had hazardous health effects on them as they depended on same water for drinking, cooking and bathing.
He blamed the oil companies for insensitivity, adding that because they were aware of the hazardous effects of their oil activities,they shielded themselves from being stopped by locals by surrounding themselves with armed military personnel whose presence they use to intimidate the locals.
The Catholic Bishop said that it was injustice and sin to abandon the people of Agge Community where vessels and barges habour to lift crude oil and queried if such a place was not good for a seaport, and expressed his fears and worries over what he described as deliberate and unnecessary destruction taking place in his jurisdiction
He appealed to the Federal Government and oil companies to respond to the Federal Government and oil companies responsible for this to stop the killing of his people which he claimed were dying slowly.
