Another Oil Spillage Hits Nembe Creeks

Obama flow station trunk line belonging to Italian Oil
giant,Eni/Agip at the creeks and waterways of the Nembe Local Government Area
of  Bayelsa State is currently said to be spilling out a great quantity of
crude resulting to disruption in the commercial fishing activities of the
people of the area.

The spillage is spreading at a high speed due to the
currents of the water and moving into the creeks of Igbeta-Ewoama ,Iwokiri,
Sabaturo and other fishing settlements and communities of Nembe kingdom .

A local fisherman,Mr. Isaac Igbeta, who spotted the leakage,
said at the speed  water current is carrying the spillage, it would in no
distant time spread to many other creeks if government and the oil company
concerned did not do something.

However, indigenes of the community accused the Agip of
conducting a bad job on the repair of a similar leaked trunk line that caused
huge oil spillage in  July.

The Chairman, Oil and Gas Committee of Nembe kingdom,
Comrade  Nengi James, said though the oil
producing areas have repeatedly called for a review on the approach of the oil
exploration companies to spillages and mop ups,the situation in the Nembe
Kingdom is pathetic  and urgent attention is needed for the oil company to
change the trunkline rather than doing shabby repairs to make quick returns.

According to Nengi, “oil companies operating in the Niger
Delta,Nigeria territorial waters are now using harmful chemicals to suppress
and induce oil spill into the waters which are injurious to both sea
foods,living organism and human beings”.

Comrade Nengi James called on the companies in Nembe and
beyond to have human face in their operational  environments rather than
employing blame games tactics of saying all spills are caused by saboteurs
because of running away from paying compensations to spill affected
communities, Shell and Agip should learn how to accept responsibilities when
spill occur and pay compensations and do proper cleanup of our waterways and
mangroves forests”.

James has in the meantime called on relevant agencies of the
Federal and State saddle with environment matters, to come and visit various
Nembe communities to carry out a comprehensive studies of the areas. Waters,air
and farmlands are contaminated with pollutants being released into the areas by
the oil companies”.

Efforts by The Tide Correspondent in Yenagoa to get
officials of Agip in Port Harcourt was not successful as several calls put
through to the Public Affairs Deportment was not answered, but a staff at the
Brass Terminal who chooses to be anonymous because he claimed not be in
position to  speak to the press, said the
reported spillage may not be different from earlier ones saying that the
company has already taken steps to curtail the spillage.