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Expert Warns Against Abandoned Oil Facilities In N’Delta Communities

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There is rising concern across the Niger Delta region over the number of abandoned oil wells, as well as unused and derelict infrastructures of multinational oil companies.
According to The Tide’s source, experts say the situation posed serious health and environmental dangers on oil producing communities.
It noted that in Akwa Ibom State alone, over 32 oil wells are said to have been abandoned.
The facilities are located in Oko, Okoroette and Utapete communities of the state.
Also, the onshore oilfield located in Oloibiri, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has been abandoned with about 21.26 million barrels of hydrocarbons.
An environmental expert, Dr Nninmo Bassey, reacting to the issue, said there were several well-heads, manifolds, flow stations and pipelines across the Niger Delta that needed to be changed and decommissioned having stayed decades unused and unattended to.
Bassey expressed worry over the state of abandoned oil wells, as well as unused and old infrastructure of the IOCs and called on them to consider the environment and the well-being of Nigerians living in the areas.
According to him, “There are several wellheads, manifolds, flow stations, and pipelines that ought to be decommissioned and removed from communities across the Niger Delta region by the IOCs and the NNPC.
“These derelict facilities constitute ecosystem impacts, groundwater contamination and threaten human health.
“Nigerian laws and regulations require proper decommissioning and removal of all unused oil facilities according to best international standards. These requirements are often ignored”.
Bassey, however, described the situation as time bombs that have already started to explode, citing the blow of Aiteo’s Nembe/Santa Barbara Well-1 in the Santa Barbara River, in OML 29 (Bayelsa State).
“The Santa Barbara blow raged for 39 days, and official/industry estimate was that less than 5,000 barrels were spilled.
“But independent experts estimated that over 500,000 barrels of hydrocarbon fluids, gas and oil were spilled in the monumental incident”, he added.
He also cited the aged Trinity Spirit FSPO that exploded and sank in February 2022, noting that numerous well-head leaks have been recorded across the region.
He further mentioned the ignored “Ororo-1 well Fire in Ondo state in shallow water Oil Mining Lease (OML) 95 and demanded that the fire should be extinguished.
“The Ororo-1 well has a long and chequered history. This oil well was first drilled by Chevron Corporation but was shut off in the 1980s with a steel plug due to pressure issues, according to reports.
“The well was awarded as a marginal field to Guarantee Petroleum and its partner, Owena Oil & Gas Ltd (an Ondo State company) in 2003 but the award was allegedly revoked in 2019 because the company had not developed and brought the field to full production before expiration of an extension period that elapsed in April 2019.
“Owena Oil & Gas Ltd filed a lawsuit against the DPR over the revocation.
“Interestingly, the well was re-entered by the new ‘owners’ in 2020 and the horrific blowout occurred on 15 May, 2020.
“Note that the well was re-entered decades after it had been plugged by Chevron. The Nigerian government effectively took ownership of (controlling) the fire since it had revoked the rights of Guarantee Petroleum to the field by the time of the disaster.
“Experts suspect that the blow out occurred due to a sudden rush of hydrocarbons under high pressure and the failure of both the Blow Out Preventer (BOP) for the main well and the BOP between the pipe and the skin of the well.
“The blow out which occurred on the Hydraulic Workover rig (Grace-1 HWU) hired by Guarantee Petroleum has been accompanied by oil spill and a constant inferno since the blow out”.
Bassey also noted that the abandonment does not only occur in the oil and gas sector but in the solid minerals sector as shown in the abandoned Tin mines of Jos and the Coa

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Niger Delta

Cancer Risk: HYPREP, IARC Launch Human Biometric Study in Ogoniland

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The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and an agency of the World Health Organisation(WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have launched a three-year public health study, to investigate the health impacts of hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland in Rivers State.

 

 

Speaking at the kick-off meeting with IARC team at the Project Coordination Office in Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, noted that the initiative is in line with the key recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland, which highlighted the need for a long-term, focused medical study to track health impacts across the Ogoni population.

 

 

He said the study is aimed at conducting a comprehensive health risk assessment linked to hydrocarbon pollution; build capacity for local health professionals; and provide clear recommendations for public health responses based on the findings at the end of the day.

 

 

According to him,   community involvement is a cornerstone of the project.

 

“Community leaders, civil society groups, and health institutions must be brought into this process from the onset to ensure trust, ownership, and relevance,” he intoned.

 

He further indicated that the project would prioritise transparency, continuous stakeholder engagement, and ethical compliance throughout the study.

 

 

“HYPREP will provide necessary technical, logistical, and institutional support to facilitate smooth project implementation. The project schedule will be jointly reviewed and finalised, and a steering and technical coordination team will be established to oversee the study.The study is expected to drive policy interventions, public health planning, and long-term monitoring of the Ogoni population’s wellbeing. The outcomes of the project will be credible, actionable, and globally recognised, thanks to IARC’s international expertise and scientific rigor,” he said.

 

The Project Coordinator said the project is expected to bring healing, hope, and progress to Ogoniland and beyond.

 

 

“In addition to the public health study, HYPREP is constructing the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, which will feature state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including cutting-edge MRI machines. This facility will significantly improve healthcare services in the region,” he said.

 

 

Also, IARC leader of the team, Dr. Joachim Schuz, in an interview after the meeting, noted that the study aims to provide concrete evidence of the impact of environmental pollution on the health of the people.

 

“We do not want to be speculating, we need to show it, we need to prove what is going on beneath,” he emphasised.

 

 

He explained that the study would collect blood samples from approximately 4,000 people to measure the levels of hydrocarbon exposure and assess the damage already caused.

 

 

He noted that they would also gather information on the living conditions of the people, including their exposure to pollutants and other health risks.

 

He ,however, urged the people of Ogoniland to participate in the study, which is expected to provide valuable information for public health planning and disease prevention.

 

Schuz further noted that the study is an investment in the health of the people, stressing that it would provide critical information for developing effective public health programmes.

 

“Without this study, we do not have the information to do a proper planning for good public health planning for the benefit of the people in the long run,” he said.

 

 

 

A member of the team, Mr Mike Cowing said samples would be taken from areas where groundwater and crops are contaminated with hydrocarbons.

 

According to information pierced together, the study will include men, women, and children, and will aim to capture the different ways in which hydrocarbon pollution affects various segments of the Ogoni population.

 

 

Another member of the medical team, Ann Olsson noted that children can be affected differently from adults due to their smaller body size and higher exposure levels.

 

She said the  team is working to ensure that the study is a representative of the entire Ogoni population, with a focus on finding solutions to sample representatives from the four local government areas.

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Niger Delta

HYPREP Trains Lab Technicians To Standardise Water Quality In Ogoniland

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As part of efforts in ensuring that the people of Ogoni get the right water quality, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has organised a training programme for laboratory technicians working in all its water stations in Ogoniland.

 

At the training held in Port Harcourt, HYPREP’s Director of Technical Services, Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, who explained the essence of the training programme said it would ensure that laboratory attendants strictly observe standard protocol for water quality test before reticulation.

 

He noted that the training would sharpen their skills for better performance in the supply of quality water to the Ogoni people.

 

“The essence of this training workshop I want to emphasise is for us to be sure that the people who operate the treatment plants in our water facilities know what to do and do the right thing all the time.So, we are taking extra pain to train you on laboratory practices that you will subject the water you give our people to, and our expectation is that you will need to understand this and when you do, make sure we are giving our people quality water.We want to be sure that while you are doing your work, you ensure that the quality of water we give our people meets international standards, meets WHO drinking water standards, and so, we feel that a key component of it is the laboratory management where you will taste the water before and after dosage; and that would guide what you dose and the quality.Make sure that our people get the right quality water to drink and in doing so, ensure that they are healthy because if you drink clean good quality water, you are most likely not to be exposed to water borne diseases, and so, we want you to pay attention,” he said.

 

The Director of Technical Services reaffirmed HYPREP’s commitment to providing potable water that meets best standards, saying the Project is optimistic that the training would benefit the participants, and urged them to apply the knowledge garnered for the good of Ogoni communities.

 

On his part, HYPREP’s Head of Potable Water, Mr Lucky Ikue, while echoing the views of the Director of Technical Services, harped on the need for standardisation in the quality of water supply in Ogoniland.

 

As it were, participants were guided on water sampling techniques, analysis and use of laboratory equipment, affording them the opportunity to upscale their skills in the collection and test of water samples; perform physical, chemical and microbiological tests, and understand the result, to improve technical capacity, develop and maintain practice in laboratory analysis.

 

The trainees equally explored physiochemical parameters such as chloride, total hardness, alkalinity, nitrate, sulphate and phosphate, microbial hydrocarbon and heavy metal analysis.

 

HYPREP is gearing up for the next round of its water projects commissioning. This month, four water stations would be commissioned in Uegwere-Boue and Taabaa communities in Khana Local Government Area, Bodo community in Gokana Local Government Area, and Eteo community in Eleme Local Government Area. This is even as the Project continues in actualising its target of providing more potable water to more Ogoni communities by the end of the year.

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Niger Delta

Oborevwori Boosts Digitalisation With Ulesson 500 Tablets To Pupils, Students

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In a move to promote digital literacy and educational inclusion, the First Lady of Delta State, Her Excellency, Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori, has distributed 500 uLesson tablets to students in public primary and secondary schools across the state.
The distribution, which took place recently at Government House, Asaba, was carried out in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Speaking at the event, Deaconess Oborevwori described the gesture as a meaningful investment in the future of Delta State’s children.
“Again, we are giving students from the Primary, Junior, and Senior Secondary Schools five hundred uLesson tablets, one hundred for Primary, two hundred for Junior Secondary, and two hundred for Senior Secondary schools”, she stated.
She explained that the initiative is part of a broader mission to equip students with the tools needed to succeed in a digital world.
“This is a Renewed Hope Initiative and NDDC educational collaboration,” she noted.
The First Lady expressed hope that the tablets would inspire independent learning and improved academic performance, especially among students in underserved communities.
“It is my earnest prayer that whatever we are giving will multiply a hundredfold in Jesus’ name”, she concluded.
In her welcome address, the Wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Catherine Onyeme, described the initiative as a reflection of the administration’s commitment to empowerment.
“This is what this government is known for, enriching and empowering the people around us”, she said, calling the effort “a beacon of progress.”
Mrs. Onyeme also addressed traders present at the event, encouraging them to use the support they received with care and purpose.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Primary Education, Dr. Kingsley Ashibogwu, highlighted the importance of technology in expanding the horizons of young learners.
“With access to the internet, children can do a lot using this tablet. This gadget will enable them to continue conquering the world”, he remarked.
He also praised the state government’s commitment to security and holistic development.
Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, also commended Deaconess Oborevwori and the First Lady of Nigeria for their roles in inspiring hope and uplifting the younger generation.
The event featured the distribution of 500 uLesson tablets to students, gas ovens for bakers, grinding machines for traders, and cash grants to support small businesses.
Beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the Wife of the Governor and the First Lady of Nigeria for the support and encouragement.
Albert Ograka, Asaba
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