By Obiabin Onukwugha
Environmental body, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has decried the level of neglect of communities affected by oil spills across the Niger Region by government and other relevant authorities.
HOMEF expressed its anger when its Executive Director, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey led a team along with other Civil Society Organisations on a visit to a spill site at B-Dere community, Gokana local government area of Rivers State where an oil spill recently occured on the Trans Niger Pipeline.
HOMEF in a statement by its Communications Lead, Kome Odhomor, on Thursday, called for a shutdown and decommissioning of oil oil wells so as to curtail further oil spills linked to equipment failures across the Niger Delta region and in Ogoni in particular.
The body noted that these spills show very clearly the massive risks the communities will be exposed to if the desire of the federal government to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland happens.
It observed that many of the B-Dere community people have been internally displaced while those already impacted by the spill are living in fear over the health and safety.
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Speaking during the visit, Bassey noted the impact of the oil spill on the community, saying “we met distressed indigenes of the community who expressed the high level of pain and a sense of exposure and abandonment.”
Bassey said: “We are in a disaster zone and further disasters can erupt from even an accidental a spark of fire. The slow response of government and oil companies underscores the lack of care for the people and the environment. This level of laxity is absolutely unconscionable.
“The fact that this spill that happened a week ago is yet to be stopped sends a very strong point to why government should focus on cleaning up Ogoniland and not seek to open new oil wells. The old wells should be shut down, and decommissioned. Our communities must not continue to be sacrificed on the altar of petrodollars.
“The government cannot be silent at a time as this. This is a time when all agencies should be here to stop halting the shit down the pipeline, stop the pollution and carry out urgent clean up and remediation.”
He called on NOSDRA, NESRA, MENA and HYPREP to move into swift action to stem the unfolding ecological and human crises.”
HOMEF called for a swift action to plug the leakage, remediate the land and carry out a thorough health audit on the exposed people of the community.
