News
Another Agip Oil Spill Hits Kalaba Community
Another oil spillage has been reported in Kalaba, a riverine community in Okordia clan, of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
This is the second time in this year the community will be witnessing serious oil pollution in their environment, the first one happened around January.
The leaking pipes which belong to Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) occurred at Anukudaba swam has further improvised the mainly farm and fishing community which had been suffering oil spillage at random in the fast five years.
Conducting news men and officials of Environment Rights/Friends of Earth, a non-governmental group, round the polluted sites, the Community’s Development Chairman, Mr. Roman Orukari, said the incident was noticed by some fishermen and reported to the community.
Consequently, the report was communicated to officials of NAOC, but for the first three days, the spillage occurred, none of the officials of the company has visited the site.
He claimed that because of the rising level of water as a result of the raining season, the spillage is fast extending to other areas, saying that already, the community has suffered great loss in their fishing prowess and the food crops have been affected adversly.
The Paramount Ruler of the community, Chief Idoniboye Awalia, said since the laying of pipelines by Agip, the community has suffered over 30 spillages, calling on government and other relevant authorities to compel the Italian Oil giant to do something about it.
Chief Nwalia, however expressed gratitude to officials of ERA for bringing their sufferings to limelight, saying that without their frequent reports about the hazards confronting the community would have been worst as government doesn’t know the atrocity of the oil companies exploiting crude oil in the area.
Speaking to journalists later, the ERA representative in Bayelsa, Mr. Morris Alagoa said although the information of fresh spill in Kalaba community environment didn’t come to ERA as an entirely strange phenomenon, ERA was surprised that the current spill points were up to five.
Although the ERA’s team confirmed four points, after visiting three of the spill sites along the pipeline, a fourth one was heard further away with a high pitch sound, in the direction toward the Agip Taylor Creek Well 1 and further away from the community.
“While the third spill point was from the side of an exposed 6 inches pipe on the ground and spraying crude oil seriously into the air], the first two points were spewing crude oil from areas submerged in water; swampy sections of the pipeline owing to the rains,” it was learnt.
“Thick crude oil slick has spread in the surrounding swamps. Due to the swampy nature of the environment [water everywhere], it was not easy to see the entire area covered by the crude oil or make an estimate as per spread. But it was obvious that the volume of crude oil spewed is high, even as it continued as the ERA team was leaving.
Another observation was the fact that the impact on trees, shrubs and other plants around the spill sites is grave as they display wilting leaves and different stages of dying off.
Even the birds on tree tops are not spared as the escaping crude oil in gaseous form comes with a characteristic sound and rises far above the trees and spread all around the environment; presenting a kind of misty scenario that impedes visibility.
“This may influence forced migration of birds or death of young ones and abandonment of eggs in nest; besides affecting the respiratory tract of indigenes who inhale same. And, for sure,
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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