Chemical Pollution: Firm Threatens To Sue Elf

A firm of legal practitioners in Port Harcourt,  Legal Vox Populi, has threatened to drag Total E and P Nigeria Limited to court following the company’s failure to close waste chemical mud pit at OB-90 location in Obagi community of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State.

The Principal Solicitor of the legal firm, Chief Sam Chukwuma who indicated this in a letter dated January 25, 2011 and addressed to the General Manager, Health Safety and Environment of Total E and P Nigeria Limited and was made available to The Tide, said the planned court action was occasioned by the refusal of the oil firm to respond to series of letters written by Chief Abella Benson and Umu-Okporo family in respect of the issue.

The legal firm said that in the light of obvious danger and damage caused by the exposure of the chemical mud pit, the oil firm has allegedly done nothing to close the chemical pit and save the people from further damage and loss of  fishes in the fish ponds and the environment at large.

In the same vein, the traditional ruler of Obagi Community, Eze Abella Benson in a letter titled “Demand for compensation in respect of OB-90 Waste Chemical mud pit pollution, dated October 3, 2011 disclosed that the hollow block wall fence that demarcated the chemical site near Igburu Swamp collapsed and the waste chemical transferred into the swamp, by water erosion and caused death of fishes and other aquatic lives in the area.

“My means of livelihood as a farmer such as fish ponds, ridges, traps nets and other properties of economic value in the area have been seriously affected b the ugly situation”, Eze Benson stated.

When The Tide contacted the Head, Community Relations of the oil firm who refused to disclose his name, he said that he was not competent to comment on the matter and referred The Tide to Health Safety and Environment Unit.

Efforts to speak with the Head of Health Safety and Environment Unit proved abortive.

Isaac Nwankwo