SPDC’s Slow Response To Oil Spills Worries Rights Group

An environmental rights
group, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FOEN) has decried the slow response by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the oil spill incident of July 12, 2015 at the Adibawa Oil Field in the Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The group said thus in its  field report on the Oil Field made available to newsmen in Yenagoa the Bayelsa State capital.
According to the group, more than six months after the incident was reported, oil recovery was yet to be complete thereby exposing the environment to continued pollution by spilled crude.
The report quoted residents of the affected communities as seeking the intervention of state and federal governments to save their environment from further degradation.
ERA/FOEN observed that the response of SPDC to the spill had fallen below standard and therefore, urged the oil firm to live up to international best practices.
“It is very sad and unfortunate that this double standard in cleaning spill impacated environment is still being applied by SPDC in the Niger Delta region.
“ERA was indeed shocked to observe the volume recorded into improvised robber contains and what was still left unscooped or pumped out from the impacted environment.
“Surely, these items pointed to the fact that some recovery job has been on but the extent and seriousness becomes the question.
“Tree trunks told a familiar tale, they said the truth about levels the crude oil was elevated to during the flood as the dark marks are very visible on all plants of certain height within the impacted area.
“Those below certain height were all destroyed, as the impacted environment is now without undergrowth, all wiped out,” the report said.
It used the opportunity to advise the oil industry regulations, state ministries of environment to intensify its surveillance and monitoring roles to safeguard the environment around oil fields.
It would be recalled that a statement from SPDC through its spokes man, Joseph Obari had attributed the delay to an investigation of a leak at Adibawa-Well-8 in the Eastern Niger Delta where a suspected attempt to steal the well had led to a spill.
The oil firm also alleged that members of the host community were thwarting the efforts of the oil firm to contain the leakage and address the damage done to the polluted environment.