In a bid to ameliorate the adverse effects of crude oil pollution activities on crop farms, relevant stakeholders have been urged to establish comprehensive scientific rehabilitation programme centres in Rivers State.
Speaking during the 47th inaugural lecture series of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, recently, titled: ‘Crude Oil Pollution, Crop Production and Farmers’ Welfare In Rivers State’, the inaugural guest lecturer, and Professor of Agricultural Production and Environmental Economics, Prof ThankGod Peter Ojimba stressed the need to establish rehabilitation centres in the State.
Ojimba while describing the inaugural lecture as apt, added that establishing such rehabilitation centres in the State would go a long way in addressing crude oil pollution as well its negative effects on crops.
He explained that the acquisition of crop farms from peasant farmers in Rivers State for crude oil exploration, exploitation and production activities has deprived crop farmers of tangible areas of land, resulting to loss of farmlands and output, hence, impoverishing the peasant crop farmers.
The Professor emphasised that the inadequate pattern of handling oil pollution issues by multinational oil companies in the State had caused more hardship on crop farmers than blessings.
Ojimba added that there is need to intensify the dissemination of benefits, from rehabilitation programmes as well as educating crop farmers on best practices and functional measures to adopt in case of unavoidable crude spillage.
He said commensurate fine should be paid to owners of farmlands without delay or denial, adding that this would help these farmers look for alternative means of livelihood instead of dying in abject poverty as a result of the oil spill.
“Adequate list of all farmlands affected by crude oil pollution should be compiled and commensurate amount of compensations paid by oil companies responsible for the acquisition of land affected to the owners of such farmlands promptly in line with economic trends in the country after the correct evaluation of land and crop areas lost have been ascertained by experts.
“If compensations are paid promptly to farmers affected by crude oil pollution, they will seek alternative means of livelihood by diversifying their resources and sources of income to seek for greater off-farm income.
“This would in turn create less dependency on crop farming in crude oil pollution-prone areas will help reduce the tension, conflicts, violence, protests poverty and hardship, agitation of resource control between the host communities and the multinational oil companies and the government, among others,” he said.
He recommended that educating farmers on best practices as well as functional measures to adopt whenever oil spillage occurs would help in protecting farm crops against crude oil pollution.
On his part, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku stated that oil production and hydrocarbon activities in the society had actually increased the poverty level of the people.
Onuchuku explained that the inaugural guest lecturer had presented an empirical view of developing a model that would address the crude oil pollution using crop production as a dependent variable and crude oil production as an expiring variable.
“The result shows very clearly that crude oil production has actually affected our crop production negatively because of its negative impact on farmlands and aquatic life.
“You know, when there is oil spill, you will find aquatic life very difficult as the fishes which is our food and a major source of income will die, thereby bringing untold hardship on the people in the State,” Vice Chancellor said.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana