ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government has expressed dissatisfaction with Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company over its alleged inability to plug ongoing leaks at its field in Nembe, two weeks after the incident.
The government’s reaction on Friday was contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ayibaina Duba, quoting Governor Douye Diri as threatening to sanction the oil company.
An oil spill at Santa Barbara Well 1 at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 in Nembe Local Government Area of the state is said to still be discharging oil.
The statement quoted Diri as expressing disappointmeng that the operator of the oil asset had allegedly neglected to take any concrete step since the November 5, 2021 equipment failure was reported to it.
The commissioner said: ”Governor Douye Diri wondered why the massive spill has continued unabated, leading to extensive pollution of the rivers, waterways and farmlands in Nembe Local Government Area, even when the company management is aware of the situation.
“Governor Diri is gravely concerned that if the high volume of crude being spilled continuously is not stopped immediately, it will spread to many more communities and undermine the economic life of residents who are predominantly farmers and fishermen.
“The Governor is particularly disappointed that the management of Aiteo has continued to play the ostrich and has yet to shut-in its failed facilities.”
He quoted the governor was also quoted to have warned that Aiteo should not assume that the criminal neglect of its facilities and disregard for human life and the environment, as demonstrated by its conduct, would not be accounted for.
Diri was said to have asked the oil firm to be prepared for the consequences of its failure, because the government would not stand by and watch Aiteo put human, aquatic lives and the environment in jeopardy.
The governor was said to have advised residents to be law-abiding and remain peaceful, assuring them of the government’s commitment to their wellbeing at all times.
Officials of National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) deployed to the spill site to ascertain the cause of the leak reported that the intensity of the pressure and magnitude of the leak was hampering investigations.
Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NOSDRA, Mr Idris Musa, had said that the spill agency had directed the operator of the facility to plug the leak for investigations to commence.
Musa also said that other oil firms in the country under the auspicies of Clean Nigeria Associates had been drafted to join Aiteo in recovery of spilled crude.
However, residents along the area have expressed worries over their safety as the gaseous discharge had gone unabated for 14 days with no respite in sight.
A community leader in Opu-Nembe, Nimibofa Degi, who spoke in an interview, said the people in the impacted areas were worried over the air quality in the area and alleged that they were having respiratory challenges.
He noted that the ill-fated well is a gas well with 80 per cent of gas and 20 per cent of crude reserves and hence, the people faced greater risks from gas pollution.
He called for air quality tests to be conducted urgently in the impacted area to establish if the area was suitable under the present circumstances.