By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation has raised concerns over a prolonged oil well blowout in Uzere Kingdom, Delta State, accusing Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited of failing to contain the incident more than five weeks after it occurred.
In a field report released on August 3 following a July 25 visit, HOMEF said crude oil and associated petroleum substances have continued to spill from Well 14 in Oil Mining Lease 30 since the June 26 blowout, threatening public health, livelihoods and the environment.
The organisation said the damaged wellhead, located near farmlands, fish ponds and a gas flare facility, poses a greater environmental risk as the flood season approaches, with fears that floodwaters could spread contamination across rivers, wetlands and agricultural land.
According to HOMEF, community leaders were informed that the blowout resulted from equipment failure caused by excessive pressure.
However, the company has been unable to stop the leak, and the collapsed wellhead continues to discharge petroleum products.
Chairman of the Uzere Oil and Gas Committee, Sylvanus Evroro, warned that the community’s predominantly farming and fishing population faces severe economic losses if the spill is not urgently contained.
The report also alleged that Heritage Energy notified the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency nearly two weeks after the incident. Although NOSDRA officials reportedly visited the site, residents said no meaningful containment or remediation had begun as of HOMEF’s assessment.
HOMEF said its team was denied access to the spill site by security personnel and relied on community testimonies, photographs and videos, noting that no Joint Investigation Visit report was available.
The organisation called on Heritage Energy to immediately stop the leak, clean up the affected area, replace ageing infrastructure and allow unrestricted access to regulators and independent observers.
It also urged NOSDRA to conduct and publish a transparent Joint Investigation Visit, enforce regulatory compliance and oversee full environmental restoration, while calling on the Delta State Ministry of Environment to carry out independent environmental and public health assessments.
HOMEF further urged the Federal Government and Delta State Government to ensure compensation, livelihood restoration and long-term environmental monitoring, warning that delayed intervention could escalate the incident into a wider environmental and humanitarian crisis.
