Community Seeks Intervention On Oil Spill

The Izuoma community in Oyigbo Council Area of Rivers has called on the federal government to urgently intervene in the continuous oil spills due to the activities of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in the area.

The community stated this in a press statement issued by the traditional ruler of Izuoma, a major town in the community, Chief Chinedu Nwaji, and made available to newsmen  last Sunday in Lagos.

The statement was jointly signed by Nwaji, Mr Lazarus Ibe Uleh, chairman, community development committee; and Mr Emeka Nkwor, youth president.

The community alleged that the various oil spills caused by SPDC operations had led to serious pollution and environmental degradation in the area.

The community called on government to compel the company to urgently come to their rescue by cleaning up the oil spill that occurred on September  15 in the area, and to stop further destruction of aquatic lives and farmlands.

“When the latest oil spill occurred on September 15, 2011, we wrote to the police, department of petroleum resources (DPR) and SPDC and they sent people to come and see; they left and have not come back to clean it.

“We are worried about their silence because it is not safe for us; we saw what happened to Jesse people and we don’t want such occurrence here.

“We are using this medium to call SPDC to hasten up and come to clean up the spill, our lives are at risk. It is not a bad thing that oil is found in our community.

“Please, come to our aid; we need immediate answer to clean up the oil before it catches fire”, the statement read.

Jesse, a town in Ethiope West council of Delta witnessed a fire disaster on October 17, 1998 in which about 1,000 of its residents were killed.

Our correspondent reports that efforts to get Shell to respond to the allegation proved abortive as the company’s head of corporate affairs and media communications, Mr Tony Okenedo did not pick his calls or reply to text messages.