Oil spill site in Ogboinbiri community in Southern Ijaw council of Bayelsa State
EDEN seeks govt, Oando’s attention in oil-ravaged Ogboinbiri community
By Valentine Amanze
One of Nigeria’s human and environmental rights groups, EDEN, has raised alarm over the effects of the incessant oil spills in Ogboinbiri in Southern Ijaw council of Bayelsa State on the community.
EDEN lamented that the spills had become a monthly occurrence, with the most recent happening on November 15, 2024.
The Executive Director of EDEN, Chima Williams, stated that since the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) divested its shares in the Joint Venture
totally to Oando, the company’s Ogboinbiri/ Tebidaba pipeline within Ogboinbiri community
environment has experienced four spill incidents from four different spill points.
The first spill, he said, occurred on September 5, 2024, and two incidents
happened in October 2024.
Following the report from the community on November 20, 2024, according to him, the EDEN team in Yenagoa led by Nimiemi Morris and Alagoa Morris mobilized and visited the
affected area on November 21, 2024, and was led to the site of interest by community
guides.
“A native of Ogboinbiri community, Bosin Izonakpo, who spoke to the EDEN team, stated that the
community has been living in devastation because of the rate of spills in the area.
“He revealed that the community suffered greatly during the October spill which occurred during the flooding season, spreading the crude all over the environment, destroying aquatic life and damaging their farm lands.
“We want to tell everybody, including the government, that the spill is massive. These spills that have taken place within this year have been really massive and devastating.
Also read: Eteo: Rivers community at the mercy of oil spill
“If you can come to Ogboinbiri and see the environment you will see the damage it has done to the environment; including the aquatic environment.
“When there is flood this entire [pipeline] environment is covered with water. So, it really affected the aquatic environment and also plants within the impacted areas.
“We used to have a lot of farms. But since this pipeline came and the spills continued, we have not been able to farm.
“Even if you farm, the yields are not encouraging; very poor harvest. When you come for fishing during the flood, the catch would be poor because crude oil has chased away the fish from the environment. And this has affected the local economy and livelihood of the indigenes of the community.”
He appealed to the government to urgently clean up the impacted environment and pay damages.
A community member, Esinkumor Richard, who was also one of EDEN guide to the spill area,
stated that the excavated area which is about six feet deep has been filled with crude oil, which has
polluted the environment, making it unfit for life to exist there.
He lamented that the spills have affected the sources of livelihood of the Ogboinbiri people.
According to the field report, which was signed by Nimiemi Morris and Alagoa Morris, the crude oil spill was caused by equipment failure, which makes three out of the four spills recorded in
the area.
It was also gathered that none of the previous spills that impacted the environment had been
cleaned up. Only recovery of spilt crude oil has been done.
Besides, the Executive Director of EDEN, Chima Williams, called on Oando to take
immediate and adequate steps to clean up the present spill site and all previously impacted
environments, and to replace the aged oil bearing pipes within the environment, to end the oil spills and further environmental degradation.
Williams also admonished government regulatory bodies at the Federal and State levels to do the
needful; ensuring proper cleanup/remediation and replacement of aged pipelines.
He advised the people of Ogboinbiri community to continue to remain vigilant in monitoring
their environment, peacefully and legally demand for environmental justice from Oando and the Federal
Government.
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