ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
The massive oil spill from a facility owned by Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Limited at Santa Barbara High-Pressure Wellhead 1 under Oil Mining Lease (OML 29) in Nembe area of Bayelsa State has continued to receive condemnations and criticisms.
Amid the ongoing spewing out of crude oil and gas onto the rivers, creeks and the environment, many affected communities in Nembe, under the auspices of Nembe Se Congress (NSC), converged in Yenagoa, the state capital, to protest the containment of the spillage over one month after the incident occurred.
President, Nembe Se Congress (NSE), Prof. Monday Godwin-Egein, said the incident was arguably the biggest oil spill disaster in the history of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in Nigeria.
Godwin-Egein, who spoke during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) press centre in Yenagoa, lamented that there appeared to be no immediate respite in sight for their people as the affected company, Aiteo, allegedly did not have the capability and necessary assets to contain the situation.
He said that due to the incident, dangerous hydrocarbon fluids were still gushing out at the wellhead at an unprecedented rate.
Godwin-Egein said that reports so far indicated that over two million barrels of crude oil and gas had already spilled onto the river, and had spread through the interwoven network of rivers, creeks and tributaries all the way to the Atlantic ocean.
He said the spread had contaminated the ecosystem around Nembe Se kingdoms and communities in Nembe and Brass local government areas of the state.
He said: “It, therefore, goes without saying that the primary means of livelihood and sustenance of the people of Nembe Se, especially Opu-Nembe kingdom and the adjoining communities had been totally destroyed by the ongoing situation, thereby ensuring them susceptible to reliance on relief materials only in the immediate short term.
He, therefore, advised the people still living at the various fishing and farming settlements, around the spill site to immediately relocate to safer locations in view of the health implications of their continued stay in the affected areas.
Godwin-Egein also urged those who relied mostly on river water for their daily use, especially for bathing, washing clothes and household utensils to desist forthwith in order to protect themselves from the various health hazards.
As part of the measures to ameliorate the conditions of people of the kingdoms, the NSC boss demanded that the relevant authorities should compel Aiteo to ensure quick capping of the spill and begin comprehensive clean-up operations expeditiously in compliance with global best practices.
Godwin-Egein urged the Federal Government to ensure that the Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) take place as soon as possible and the outcome made public immediately.
Other demands, according to him are: “Cognizant of the long term effects of this disaster, an independent investigation must be conducted to unravel all the issues behind the disaster with recommendations against future occurrence.
“Nembe Se Congress public reaffirms our commitment to also constitute a body of experts to join in the investigative effort in order to get to the root of this matter.
“There must be an urgent but comprehensive remediation programme for the ecosystem to restore the biodiversity of the affected areas.
“While acknowledging the relief materials so far provided by Aiteo, we still call for more comprehensive health-care arrangement and the continuous monitoring of the conditions of the affected people.
“We use this medium to advise all interested parties in this matter to avoid playing politics with the lives of our people and our environment, all of which are currently under serious threat.
“Congress hereby calls on the Bayelsa State Government to liaise with the Federal Government to officially designate the impacted and affected areas in Nembe Se as ‘Major Disaster Area’.”
Godwin-Egein equally called on Airtel to ensure transparency and accountability in all matters concerning the disaster in order to help build trust and cooperation among stakeholders in working towards a mutually acceptable conclusion.