Haunted by oil spill

Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Three Bayelsa State communities, Okpoma and Ewoama in Brass Local Government and Olugbobiri in Southern Ijaw areas are in the throes of oil spill from activities of oil companies in the areas.

For a people who are predominantly into farming and fishing, the oil spill has not only disrupted their economic activities, it has imposed a bleak future on them as they are now struggling to eke a living.

Mr Nathan Berepelenyo, the youth president of Ewoama community, explained that a couple Mr and Mrs Daniel were the first to raise the alarm after oil spill destroyed their fishing materials: “I got a call from Mr and Mrs Daniel, reporting that they went for fishing at one of our creeks called Nangulor location at night and that crude oil has spoilt their fishing materials.

“They suspected an oil spillage had occurred. As the youth president of Ewoama, I immediately put a call to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Brass Terminal. They asked me to bring proof to back up my claim. I then mobilised the next morning to the site and took some photographs and video clips which I took to Agip.

“They said they would get back to me. A firm that was mobilised to the site to ascertain if the oil spill was caused by sabotage or equipment failure has since concluded its work and there has been no feedback from Agip.”

Chairman of Oil and Gas Committee of Okpoama, Chief Percy Jerrywemi-Kuomain said the devastating effect of the oil spill has put the people of the area on the edge:  “On their own, without informing us they came with a swamp-buggy to fix the leaking point.

“And being alert we were able to stop them twice before they came to inform us formally that they wanted us to join them for the Join Investigation Visit (JIV). Neither Agip nor the regulators have done anything. The impact of the spill has negatively affected the people and environment as we are predominantly fishing folks.

“When it happened, it affected the fishing nets belonging to the people and the environment were awash with crude oil thereby killing fishes and other aquatic lives. We expected Agip to quickly send relief materials to the two immediate communities of Okpoama and Ewoama and without delay arrange for cleanup and remediation. For government regulators, we expected them to facilitate the above operations.”

The oil spill in Olugbobiri followed the same pattern with the same level of adverse effect and lack of response from Agip to the plight of the people. The people living in Olugbobiri said the crude oil has polluted the Okoron River such that people could no longer drink the water or bath in it.

Seitonkumo Erefawei lamented that the crude oil in the river is so much that the people fear they might not be able to drink from it again.

An official of the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN), Mr Alagoa Morris, who toured the three communities, expressed disappointment that there is absence of transparency in the handling of the oil spills:

“It is a sad commentary, the surreptitious and anti-community moves to access spill sites within community environment to repair or tamper with the facility even before regulators and community folks could be invited for JIV. These are movements that may sometimes turn an equipment failure incident to sabotage.

“Besides, if any harm should befall those embarking on such secret movements are attacked or hurt by unidentified persons during this kind of secret movement; it is the communities that the military would invade and destroy. The oil companies, having been operating in the Niger Delta this long ought to know the right approaches to community relations. This oil company has been caught in the act red-handed.

“Such things are capable of causing serious conflict between the community on one side and the oil companies and security agencies on the other hand. There is need for caution on the part of NAOC; to follow due process and maintain good working relationship with host communities.”

Morris who noted that the people of Okpoama deserve commendation for peaceful disposition said the negative effects of the oil spill are monumental: “Understandably, the crude oil has spread in the mangrove environment of Ewoama and Okpoama; a scenario with would definitely affect the mangroves and aquatic lives, in terms of killing and dislocation.

“As could be seen in the attached photos, already the crude oil has killed some crabs. The mangroves may even wither sooner or later and the aquatic lives such as fish and crustaceans, including periwinkles, which locals depended on as means of livelihood. That is what should be expected in the Olugbobiri impacted environment.”

He advised Agip to take urgent steps to clean up all impacted sites to prevent further spread of crude oil and damage to the marine environment. He also advocated that regulatory agencies, especially NOSDRA and Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment should not just stop with JIV, but follow up practically to ensure NOAC does the required clean up and remediation.

NAOC was equally advised to provide relief materials for the affected communities: “The means of livelihood of the people has been disrupted and they have been denied too of their natural water to bathe.”