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Anger and tension have gripped Bayelsa community following pollution arising from leakage at Opukushi oil flow station belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
Residents of the host communities in Ekeremor Local Government Areahave decried the pollution caused by the oil spill and claimed that clean-up was yet to be carried out.
Head of the family hosting the oil well, Chief Bidei Oyinmo, called on the Federal Government and relevant regulatory agencies responsible for the protection of the environment and prevention of oil spills to assist.
Oyinmo said that since the spill occurred, nothing had been done to remediate the environment, stressing that the development had negatively impacted the predominantly fishing and farming settlement.
“The SPDC’s oil well No. 24 in its Opukushi oil flow station has been spilling and spreading crude oil into the swamps, creeks, ponds and the Dodo River,’’ Oyinmo said.
He said the spill had stretched the people of the communities to their elastic limit hence the appeal to government and relevant authorities to intervene.
Shell has confirmed the spill, which discharged a yet to be ascertained volume of crude into the environment, occurred on June 15.
Its Media Relations Manager, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, however, dismissed claims by residents that the oil firm was yet to respond to the spill and said the leak was promptly contained within SPDC’s right of way.
