One of the oil spill areas in Rivers.
Residents appeal to govt, Shell for assistance
Communities in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State have cried out over the oil spill that spread their shoreline on December 13, 2024.
The spill, which emanated from an SPDC facility in Bonny Island – spreading to the Oyorokoto /Agbama/ Imo River, impactrd heavily on the communities along the stretch of the river.
Reuters’ report had suggested that the spill emanated from a pipeline rupture at a Shell loading terminal in Bonny.
The spill, however, is huge as the impact is being felt over 40km from the incident site, while there are indications that due to wave action, the spill will spread to other communities along that coastline.
It will be recalled that a similar spill occurred in Shell’s Trans Niger Pipeline line III on May 11, 2024, in Asarama community, Andoni LGA, Rivers State – polluting and contaminating the environment as well as fishing gear and destroying their means of livelihood.
In a visit to the affected areas along the Oyorokoto/Agbama/Imo River, stakeholders, including representatives from Andoni Host and Impacted Communities Bureau, the National Youth Council of Nigeria Andoni, amongst others, lamented their experience of the magnitude of the spill, and the immediate impacts they witnessed.
They noted that the oil spill has damaged fishing nets, boats, and other equipment, rendering them unusable.
The oil spill has contaminated the waterways, making it impossible for fishermen to engage in their daily livelihood.
The oil spill has caused significant environmental damage, including the destruction of mangroves, fish habitats, and other marine life.
They urged the polluting company to quickly contain the spill to avoid further destruction and carry out clean-up and remediation as well as provide adequate compensation to the impacted community people.
Contributing, Nnimmo Bassey, environment expert and Director, Health of Mother Erath Foundation (HOMEF), lamented the frequency of the spills in the area.
“These frequent spills are the harsh realities of community folks in the Niger Delta and in many cases, nothing is done as the communities are left to suffer.
“Most of the pipelines that crisscross the Niger Delta are as old as when commercial export of crude oil started in Nigeria, and a lot of these spills are coming from these old pipelines and, in some other cases, equipment failure,” he said.
Bassey also appealed to all relevant agencies to beam their searchlight on these oil companies to ensure that justice is served.
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) is an ecological think-tank advocating for socio-ecological justice and food sovereignty in Nigeria and Africa, examining the roots of exploitation of resources, peoples and nations.
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