The Coordinator, of all
communities affected by Shell Bonga Oil Spill in Niger Delta, Mr Amoma-Francis Monday,  has called for compensation for the communities affected by the oil spill.
Monday made the call after a team of experts from the Federal Ministry of Environment and Health concluded their findings on the impact of the Shell Bonga oil spill.
He told newsmen that the 2011 oil spill had brought about different ailments and untold hardship resulting in increased death of people living in 800 communities along the coastal belt.
Monday said that the situation prompted the group to draw the Federal Government’s attention to the affected communities.
“It was our letter that prompted the Federal Ministry of Environment, Health, and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to send experts to verify our allegations,’’ he said.
The coordinator said that the experts were able to administer 60,000 questionnaires on 80 out of the 800 communities along the coast of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers to ascertain their challenges.
“We are supposed to administer 200,000 questionnaires but because of logistics, we were able to administer only 60,000 in six days and these will be returned to government for evaluation.
“The aim of the exercise is to draw government’s attention to the condition of the people living in the creeks and direct shell company to mop up the environment.
“It is also to urge Shell to release relief materials to the victims as directed by the National Assembly and also compensate them accordingly,’’ Monday said.
Mrs Fumilayo Oyeyipo, Deputy Director, Environmental Health and Sanitation Department, Federal Ministry of Environment said that the soil and water samples collected would be taken to their laboratory for analysis.
Oyeyipo gave the people assurance of government’s readiness to assist them and that the result of the analysis would be made known to the public as soon as it was ready.
In a remark, Pa Holden Majebi, the community head of Egboroke in Ogheye, Warri North Local Government Area in Delta, thanked the experts for the visit.
Majebi said that his wards had been living in penury since the oil spill and that the development had affected fishing, which was their major means of livelihood.
He appealed to the Federal Government and Shell company to compensate them.
Mr Clifford Kolo, a representative of Obogboro Community in Warri North, urged the experts to not to doctor their analysis.
Also, a representative of Ugbebe community, Mr Felix Olarenwaju, appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action to enable the communities to get what they deserved.
Mr Anderson Uwawah, a former secretary of Ugborodo community in Escravos, Warri South-West Local Government Area, called for the provision of facilities such as schools, healthcare centres and potable water in the communities.
Mr Jacob Ajuju, the Amanawei of Orobiri Community, Kou-Kingdom in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa, commended the Federal Government for its intervention and urged them to ensure that justice was done in the investigation.

Chairman, Dredging and Sand Dealers Association of Nigeria, Mr Edmund Chilaka (4th right) with participants at the Port Harcourt Dredging Executives Roundtable in Port Harcourt, recently.