Worried by the devastating impacts of oil and gas exploration and extraction in the oil-bearing communities of Akwa Ibom and Rivers states, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), a civil society organisation (CSO) and some key community stakeholders have advocated for a strong synergy between the affected states in the fight to get justice from the International Oil Companies (IOCs).
This was contained in a communique at the end of the joint meeting involving the oil communities of Ibeno (Akwa Ibom) and Joinkrama, (Rivers), held in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state.
The stakeholders stressed the need for a holistic action in order to compel the IOCs to remedy the scourge of environmental degradation caused by their exploratory activities in the two states.
The Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation,  Nnimo Bassey, lamented the negative impact of oil exploration on the communities.
He said that the communities, having experienced the hazards of extractive activities of the oil companies for too long, needed to be heard and encouraged to raise their voices in unison against such inhuman environmental exploitation with adverse effects on humans and aquatic lives.
Bassey,  also  decried the environmental, health and ecological impacts gas flaring and oil spills have caused the two communities even with its attendant human rights abuses and repression.
According to him, the meeting became necessary in order to give the affected communities the basic tools and knowledge on how to defend their environments, health and livelihoods, tracing the root causes to negligence and abandonment by the oil and gas multinationals.
“The situation in both Ibeno and Joinkrama shows abject abandonment of very accommodating people.
“Their situation cannot continue to be one by which they are remembered only for exploitation of their resources and extraction of votes during elections.
“There are key oil and gas issues in these areas and there have been notable oil spills over the decades, human rights abuses and repression of the people.
“We have heard from them and we encourage them to speak with one voice. They deserve to enjoy the right to a safe environment and the time for them to be heard is now,” Bassey said.

Also speaking Azaga Ovie-Oniso Kelvin, a member of the Joinkrama community, lamented that, “oil floats on our rivers and we can no longer fish.

“We still drink polluted water from the Orashi River, crops like cassava are also not yielding like they used to. You can see the environment and the roofing sheets are all rusty.”he said

On his part,Emmanuel Akpan, a stakeholder from the Ibeno community narrated that, “ExxonMobil has enslaved us for long but it is time to take up active advocacy in demanding for the restoration of our environment.

“We have suffered from cancers, respiratory diseases and other ailments while we lack basic essential amenities that we ought to have.”
Other stakeholders at the meeting  also called for measures to check the negative impact of oil exploration on their areas.

By: John Bibor