Oil & Energy
Bayelsa, NOSDRA To Investigate Oil Spill In Koluama
Officials of the Bayelsa State Government have led some environmentalists, officials of the Ministry of Minerial Resources and Environment and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to the site of the recent oil spill in Koluama, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
According to the government officials, the visit was to assure the affected communities of government’s efforts to ascertain the source of the spill, extent of the spill and its effects on the livelihoods of the people.
The oil spill happened on January 16 near Funiwa offshore facilities, off the Atlantic coast.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Bayelsa State Governor on Oil and Gas, Mr. Timi Seimiebo, who led the visitation team, urged the people of the community to remain calm.
He said samples taken from the oil spill site would be sent for laboratory analysis to know the oil exploration company responsible for it.
According to Seimiebo, “Once the samples have been tested and the identity of the company is known, we will ask them to stand up to their responsibility as an oil company.”
Also speaking, an environmentalist and Head of Field Operations, Environment Rights Action, Comrade Alagoa Morris, explained that though the visit was not the statutory Joint Investigative Visit (JIV), the trip was a fact-finding mission to assess the level of impact on the people and environment.
“The visit was an assessment trip to see things and suggest the way forward given the fact that no oil company has owned up. It cannot be a JIV because no oil company was represented so we shall submit an interim report to guide our further action,” Morris said.
Also, Youth President of Koluama 1, one of the areas worst hit by the spill, Mr Kiwei Emmanuel, said the regulators, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), took samples from the sediments at the coastline for laboratory tests to trace the source of pollution.
Emmanuel said members of the team also saw heaps of fishing nets, fishing gear and accessories destroyed by the pollution, and traced the spread of the crude along the coast into the creeks and mangrove vegetation.
The oil spill, which occurred last week in the Koluama community of Bayelsa State, has attracted public attention following the denial by Chevron Oil Company that it was responsible for it as earlier claimed by the residents of the community.
While Chevron Oil Limited owns Funiwa Oil Platform, Conoil Limited owns Auntie Julie Oil Platform in the area.
The oil spill has affected aquatic life and the mainstay of the community’s economy, which is fishing.
The Chairman of the KEFFES Rural Development Foundation, Mr. Mathew Sele-epri, said he got in touch with the major operators in the area as soon as he heard about the spill.
“As I took a boat ride in the affected parts of the water, I saw dead fishes floating. And I noticed that the ecosystem was being damaged and aquatic life had been grossly affected,” he said
Oil & Energy
Nigeria Loses More Crude Oil Than Some OPEC Members – Nwoko

Nigeria’s losses due to crude oil theft has been said to be more significant than those of some other members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC).
The Chairman, Senate Ad- hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft, Senator Ned Nwoko, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Nwoko noted with dismay the detrimental impact of the issue, which, he said include economic damage, environmental destruction, and its impact on host communities.
According to him, the theft was not only weakening the Naira, but also depriving the nation of vital revenue needed for infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District described the scale of the theft as staggering, with reports indicating losses of over 200,000 barrels per day.
Nwoko disclosed that the ad hoc committee on Crude Oil Theft, which he chairs, recently had a two-day public hearing on the rampant theft of crude oil through illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, and the systemic gaps in the regulation and surveillance of the nation’s petroleum resources.
According to him, the public hearing was a pivotal step in addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing the nation.
‘’Nigeria loses billions of dollars annually to crude oil theft. This is severely undermining our economy, weakening the Naira and depriving the nation of vital revenue needed for infrastructure, healthcare, education, and social development.
‘’The scale of this theft is staggering, with reports indicating losses of over 200,000 barrels per day more than some OPEC member nations produce.
‘’This criminal enterprise fuels corruption, funds illegal activities and devastates our environment through spills and pollution.
‘’The public hearing was not just another talk shop; it was a decisive platform to uncover the root causes of crude oil theft, bunkering and pipeline vandalism.
‘’It was a platform to evaluate the effectiveness of existing surveillance, monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms; Identify regulatory and legislative gaps that enable these crimes to thrive.
‘’It was also to engage stakeholders, security agencies, host communities, oil companies, regulators, and experts to proffer actionable solutions; and strengthen legal frameworks to ensure stricter penalties and more efficient prosecution of offenders”, he said.
Nwoko noted that Nigeria’s survival depended
Oil & Energy
Tap Into Offshore Oil, Gas Opportunities, SNEPCO Urges Companies

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SNEPCo) has called on Nigerian companies to position themselves strategically to take full advantage of the growing opportunities in upcoming offshore and shallow water oil and gas projects.
The Managing Director, SNEPCO, Ronald Adams, made the call at the 5th Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) Conference, held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, last Thursday.
Adams highlighted the major projects, including Bonga Southwest Aparo, Bonga North, and the Bonga Main Life Extension, as key areas where Nigerian businesses can grow their capacity and increase their involvement.
“Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (SNEPCo) says Nigerian companies have a lot to benefit if they are prepared to take advantage of more opportunities in its offshore and shallow water oil and gas projects.
“Projects such as Bonga Southwest Aparo, Bonga North and Bonga Main Life Extension could grow Nigerian businesses and improve their expertise if they applied themselves seriously to executing higher value contracts”, Adams stated.
Adams noted that SNEPCo pioneered Nigeria’s deepwater oil exploration with the Bonga development and has since played a key role in growing local industry capacity.
He emphasized that Nigerian businesses could expand in key areas like logistics, drilling, and the construction of vital equipment such as subsea systems, mooring units, and gas processing facilities.
The SNEPCO boss explained that since production began at the Bonga field in 2005, SNEPCo has worked closely with Nigerian contractors to build systems and develop a skilled workforce capable of delivering projects safely, on time, and within budget both in Nigeria and across West Africa.
According to him, this long-term support has enabled local firms to take on key roles in managing the Bonga Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which reached a major milestone by producing its one-billion barrel of oil on February 3, 2023.
Oil & Energy
Administrator Assures Community Of Improved Power Supply

The Emohua Local Government Area Administrator, Franklin Ajinwo, has pledged to improve electricity distribution in Oduoha Ogbakiri and its environs.
Ajinwo made the pledge recently while playing host in a courtesy visit to the Oduoha Ogbakiri Wezina Council of Chiefs, in his office in Rumuakunde.
He stated that arrangements are underway to enhance available power, reduce frequent outages, and promote steady electricity supply.
The move, he said, was aimed at boosting small and medium-scale businesses in the area.
“The essence of power is not just to have light at night. It’s for those who can use it to enhance their businesses”, he said.
The Administrator, who commended the peaceful nature of Ogbakiri people, urged the Chiefs to continue in promoting peace and stability, saying “meaningful development can only thrive in a peaceful environment”.
He also charged the Chiefs to protect existing infrastructure while promising to address the challenges faced by the community.
Earlier, the Oduoha Ogbakiri Wezina Council of Chiefs, led by HRH Eze Goodluck Mekwa Eleni Ekenta XV, expressed gratitude to the Administrator over his appointment and pledged their support to his administration.
The chiefs highlighted challenges facing the community to include incessant power outage, need for new transformers, and the completion of Community Secondary School, Oduoha.
The visit underscored the community’s expectations from the LGA administration.
With Ajinwo’s assurance of enhancing electricity distribution and promoting development, the people of Oduoha Ogbakiri said they look forward to a brighter future.
By: King Onunwor