04042021 - Tension as gunmen kill Miyetti Allah leaders in Nassarawa

MULTIPLE OIL SPILLS IN N-DELTA
Anger over death, sack
of 20, 000 fishermen
BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME
IN the last one month, it has been cases
of oil spill across several Ijaw
communities in Delta State with over
20, 000 fishermen allegedly displaced.
Tsekelewu (Polobubo) communities in
Warri North Local Government Area were
the first to cry out over the massive spill on
their waters.
Barely two weeks later, communities in
Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West
Local Government Area did same.
President of Polobubo bloc of Polobubo
communities, Mr. Paul Toruwei, told
Sunday Vanguard that the oil spill, which
they noticed on their waters about three
weeks ago, allegedly resulted in the death
of a nonagenarian, adding that at a time
residents could not cook for fear that it
could trigger off wild fire in the area.
He said there had been wailing in the
communities since the sad incident.
According to him, the spill was from a
ruptured major pipeline transporting crude
from Opuama flow station in OML 40
operated by the Nigerian Petroleum
Development Company, NPDC/Elcrest E &
P JV.
The communities enjoined the state and
federal governments to prevail on the oil
giants to commence remediation activities
Toruwei said residents were still afraid to
cook in the community for fear that it could
spark off a major fire outbreak from the
spill deposit.
SOS
“The Minister of State, Petroleum, Chief
Timipre Sylva, Governor of Delta State,
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, and the GMD of
NNPC, Mr. Kyari, should come to the aid
of the Polobubo/Opuama communities”, he
said.
“They should also prevail on the
management of NPDC/Elcrest E&P JV
to swing into action and take remedial
actions by containing further spread of the
spill, provide medical care, food, water and
other necessities to save the lives of residents
who have been denied their source of
livelihood.
“As you can see, residents are in sorrow
and anguish; so many persons are already
hospitalized while Pa Anthony Ebiogbo of
Opuama community lost his life due to gas
inhalation in the early hours of yesterday
from the spill.
“As I speak, economic activities have been
grounded: as a matter of fact, residents
couldn’t cook their food due to fear of fire
outbreak as a result of gas exudates from
the said pipeline that
enveloped the whole
vicinity”.
The community leader
appealed for urgent trucking
of drinking water to the area,
pleading that the National
Oil Spill Detection and
Response Agency, NOSDRA,
Department of Petroleum
Resources, DPR, and
Ministry of Environment
should also come to the aid
the people.
A week after the
community cried out for
relief materials and
intervention from the
Federal Government,
Toruwei said there had been
no response.
According to him, the people had
continued to live in misery, pain and
anguish as fishermen could not go for their
trade.
The community leader said that their
women who also trade in fishes had nothing
to sell.
He said several residents of the area had
been sick from inhaling destructive air from
the spill.
Respiratory ailments
Gbaramatu Traditional Council of
Locals have had
to abandon their
fishing
expeditions even
as they develop
respiratory
problems due to
the smell of
fumes of the
spill
SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021, PAGE 21
Chiefs, in similar vein, decried the oil spill
on their waters, this time allegedly from
facilities of Chevron Nigeria Limited, a
major oil giant in the region but the
company denied it.
Spokesman for Gbaramatu Kingdom,
Chief Godspower Gbenekama Fiyewei, said
residents were battling respiratory ailments
arising from the spill.
He said the incident occurred about three
weeks ago and had continued to massively
pollute the environment. He further called
for a joint investigation that would unravel
details of the spill.
His words: “We wish to
observe and state as
follows:
our
investigations show an oil
spill which has
meandered through and
beyond the creeks and
rivulets of Gbaramatu
Kingdom owing largely to
lack of immediate steps to
curtail the spread.
“Locals have had to
abandon their fishing
expeditions even as they
develop respiratory
problems due to the smell
of fumes of the spill.
“The oil spill, which
occurred about six weeks
ago, was promptly
reported to Chevron
Nigeria Limited believed to own the assets
that produced the spill. The company,
Chevron, has been in denial till now.
“On Saturday, March 27, 2021, the
company, through its General Manager,
Policy, Government and Public Affairs,
Esimaje Brikinn, denied that the oil sheen
on the waters was from its assets.
“We call for an immediate joint
investigation team involving all
stakeholders including the Nigerian
National Petroleum Company, NNPC,
Chevron, Delta State Government,
NOSDRA and relevant agencies to
ascertain the cause of the spill and
determine the owner-company of asset.
“We think that a unilateral aerial
investigation reportedly conducted by
Chevron is not reassuring as we know that
assists passing through the site of spill are
exclusively owned by Chevron Nigeria
Limited. We wonder how an alleged aerial
investigation could establish any
meaningful fact.
“As custodians of the welfare of our
people, we hold and call on the FG , state
government and oil companies operating
in the area to rise up to the challenge of
ameliorating the sufferings of the people,
even before we ascertain blame.
“The people are suffering. We call for relief
materials to enable the local populace
survive the economic displacement and
conditions caused by the oil spill”.
Legal means
Gbenekama also said that Gbaramatu,
being a law-abiding kingdom, will explore
all legal means to unravel the owner of the
assets and the cause of the spill.
He maintained that the Chevron facility
will remain closed in the meantime to
curtail further spread of the spill.
A statement from the General Manager,
Policy, Government and Public Affairs of
the oil giant, Brikinn, said the spill was not
from their facilities.
“Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL),
operator of the joint venture between the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
and CNL, is aware of a report in the media
and some communities about an alleged
oil spill from Abiteye, Makaraba and
Utonana Fields in CNL’s western area of
operations, Warri South West Local
Government Area of Delta State”, he said.
“CNL has investigated and continues to
survey its Assets in the Abiteye and Utonana
Fields including the 16” Makaraba-
Utonana-Abiteye Right of Way (ROW) and
confirms that there has not been any
indication that the oil sheen on water is
from its Assets in Abiteye, Makaraba and
Utonana fields or from any other CNL
facilities as alleged.
“We take incidents of oil spill seriously.
Our surveillance programme is an ongoing
exercise engrained in our processes; and
we respond to every report of a spill by
following established industry regulatory
processes, including engagements with
communities and regulators, and Joint
Investigation Visits (JIV), to determine
source, cause and impact of such spills.
These are ongoing in the current case.
“We continue to engage the communities
and communicate our findings concerning
the alleged spill to the leadership of the
community stakeholders.
“CNL operates in strict compliance with
relevant laws and regulations governing the
Nigerian petroleum industry and remains
committed to the protection of people and
the environment. We will continue to
conduct our operations reliably and
efficiently, with utmost consideration for
environmental protection”.
Protest
Meantime, women and other residents in
Kokodiagbene community in the same
Gbaramatu Kingdom have been occupying
Otunana flow station in their area,
demanding justice from operators of the
facility.
Chairman of the community, Mr Pedro
Bekenawei, said they would not vacate the
flow station, adding that they mobilized to
occupy the place until they got assurance
from operator of the facility to address
challenges of neglect they suffer.
He said they had been there for five days.
“We will continue to be here. We are
suffering neglect. See the oil spill, it has
rendered our men and women idle. Nobody
can go to fish anymore. We don’t have water
to drink. We have chosen to remain here
until justice is done”, Bekenawei said.
“We demand adequate compensation for
this massive destruction of our economy and
life”.
The community leader appealed for relief
materials from government and its
agencies to cushion the impact of the spill
on the people.