Oil Pollution: Communities Demand N10bn From SEEPCO

About 86 communities
along River Niger and Remos, under the umbrella of “the River Niger and Remos Amalgamated Communities over the weekend protested water pollution in their area by Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO) in Kwale, Delta State.
The group alleged that residue from SEEPCO has damaged their waterways, farm crops and other means of livelihood.
The protesters are demanding prompt payment of N10 billion compensation and signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between them and the oil firm, and expressed more fear that the oil spill might wreack more havoc on the community farmlands if urgent steps were not taken to address the situation.
Representatives of the communities who converged in Asaba, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State expressed their readiness for a showdown with the management of the company if it fails to pay attention to their plight.
Spokesperson for the aggrieved communities, Hon Godfrey Anagbogu, described the action of the protesters as a measure to drive home their anger as well as attract immediate attention of the company’s management to their plight.
Anagbogu lamented that the coastal communities have suffered total neglect from the oil spills, noted that the protesters had for long expected a joint meeting with the company but to no avail.
He remarked that the communities were disappointed with the oil company over its management’s refusal to honour their request.
But the company’s Liaison Officer, Mr Omoefe Ogbaudu, dismissed the allegation, saying that the company was strange to the issue on ground as they were neither documented nor written to before the communities went on protest.
He reminded the protesters that River Niger is their natural resource which has been polluted by other sources and not the oil company, but however assured that their protest would be related to the management of the company for appropriate decision.