By Obiabin Onukwugha
The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has confirmed a recent oil spill in Bodo Community, located in the Gokana local government area of Rivers State. The spill was reported to have occurred last Friday.
NOSDRA Port Harcourt Zonal Coordinator, Ime Ekanem, made the confirmation to NatureNews, on Sunday.
According to him, the latest spill is coming amidst calls and concerns from relevant stakeholders on the need to end re-pollution of the Ogoni environment as clean-up and remediation activities on the environment continues.
Ekanem, who acknowledged the spill, mentioned that the agency was planning to visit the site to gather more information.
This new oil spill has raised concerns, as ongoing cleanup and remediation efforts are underway in the Ogoni environment.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) issued a press statement alerting the public to the fresh oil spill in the Sugi area of Bodo City, which is an Ogoni community where the cleanup initiative was launched.
“A new oil spill has been reported again in Bodo City in Gokana Local Government Area (Ogoni) of Rivers State, a few months after many other multiple crude oil spills have occurred.
“Members of YEAC-Nigeria’s One Million Youth Volunteers Network on Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta and the Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS) in the community reports that the latest spill is allegedly caused by equipment failure”, the statement read in part.
According to the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Fyneface Dumnamene, the spill is suspected to be caused by equipment failure and occurred near the site of multiple oil spills that have taken place recently on the trans-Niger Delta pipeline operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
YEAC-Nigeria urged NOSDRA to conduct a joint investigation visit (JIV) with Shell and other stakeholders to determine the cause of the spill.
The advocacy group highlighted the importance of timely investigation, emphasizing that a previous spill in Eteo Community in Eleme Local Government Area had not yet been addressed.
“YEAC-Nigeria calls on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to immediately embark on a joint investigation visit (JIV) with Shell and other stakeholders to the spill site in Bodo City and not to delay it like it has refused to carry out JIV on the June 18, 2023 crude oil spill in Eteo Community in Eleme Local Government Area till date”, the statement further read.
If the pattern of spills continues, YEAC-Nigeria expressed its intention to seek recognition of Bodo oil spills by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The organization aims to draw global attention to the persistent oil spill issue in the region and hold oil companies accountable for their impact on the ecosystem.
“We have lost count of oil spill reports from Bodo city alone due to incessant occurrences, and there is a need to go beyond press statements that put these spills on record to seek Guinness World Records for the community and for the putter to be globally named and shamed to serve as a deterrent to both indigenous and multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.
“The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) will work with the community leadership and its people for Guinness World Records as the community with the highest number of crude oil spills in the world.”
YEAC-Nigeria intends to collaborate with the community leadership to pursue a Guinness World Record for Bodo City as the community with the highest number of crude oil spills in the world.
This effort aligns with the ongoing cleanup exercise by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), which aims to address the environmental degradation in the Bodo, Ogoni, and Niger Delta communities.
