…as 20 Communities Suffer Pollution in Bayelsa State.
A Joint Investigation Visit has established operational failure as the cause of an oil spill from a loading barge operated by an indigenous oil company, the Nembe Exploration and Production Limited which resulted in pollution of over twenty fishing settlements and communities around the Nembe Creek oil field in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
According to natives, the incident happened on Saturday, August twenty-two this year when crude oil was being loaded into a barge from the manifold which slanted and emptied its content into the river.
Alambo Datonye reports that though the JIV has yet to ascertain the volume of the spill, the people of the affected areas are appealing to the Bayelsa State and Federal Government as well as relevant agencies to come to their rescue.
The Nembe Creek oilfield which is considered as the biggest oil and gas field within the Oil Mining Lease 29 was started and operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company and divested in 2015 to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company which has changed its name to Nembe Exploration and Production Limited.
Following the construction of a crude oil tank farm within the Nembe Creek facility and loading and transport of crude oil into vessels a few years ago, most of the oil spills recorded in the vicinity have been traced to loading related incidents.
Communities in Nembe have witnessed several oil spills including the Santa Barbara OML 29, Well 1 incident in 2019 and that of 2021 which spewed crude into the river for one month before it was contained.
The latest spill at the Nembe Creek oilfield which was first noticed over a week ago is reported to have begun while a barge was being loaded with crude oil from a platform.
The leak has spread to several fishing settlements and communities spreading through and polluting mangrove swamps, rivers and creeks, destroying marine and aquatic life and several sources of livelihood, especially fishing in the process.
The overall paramount ruler of Nembe Creek communities, Chief Agent Anthony Waya said the people of the affected communities have continued to suffer the devastating effects of several oil spills, accusing the company operating the facility of being indifferent to their plight.
A native of Robertkiri, one of the affected settlements, Mr. Joshua Robert Oruge noted that with frequent pollution of the environment, many fish species, oyster, crayfish and periwinkle which sustain locals have been destroyed.
For the Women Leader of Nembe Creek communities, Ebi Otokolo and another local, Biodomoye Kamre, they constantly inhale the smell of crude oil with adverse health implications just as they have lost their major source of livelihood which is fishing.
The Environment watchdog, Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development, (ECARD) through its Chief Operating Officer, Chief Alagoa Morris said it was unfortunate to have large volume of crude oil spill into the river, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive cleanup and remediation of the polluted Nembe Creek in addition to provision of relief materials and compensation for the affected people and communities.
Though a Joint Investigation Visit to the site has been carried out, the Nembe Exploration and Production Limited has not reacted to the incident.
Efforts by Radio Nigeria to get reaction were not fruitful as messages sent to the company were not replied.
Communities in the affected areas have however called for safer and more reliable methods of transporting crude oil rather than the practice of using barges to evacuate the product.
