From INIOBONG SUNDAY, Uyo
Peace Point Development Foundation PPDF, a Civil Society Organization, CSO, working to promote ecological justice in Nigeria has raised the alarm over the devastating impacts of oil spills in the coastal communities of Eastern Obolo local government area of Akwa Ibom state.
The PPDF Coordinator, Comrade Umo Isuah – Ikoh, told Journalists in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital on Tuesday, that their findings revealed that the spills emanated from Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Limited, SOEPCL, facility, and charged the firm to commence immediate clean-up and other remediation programmes.
He listed Emere-Oke and Akpabom, as communities’ worse hit by the spills and urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRIA, to investigate as the aquatic ecosystem has become toxic, throwing several fishermen out of job.
He said: “Sterling Oil with an operational base in Eastern Obolo, Akwa Ibom state is operating a marginal field within the OML 13 oil and gas asset.
“After our on-the-spot visit to the communities affected by the spill at Emere-Oke and Akpabom communities, we are calling on Sterling Oil to immediately stop the spill, clean up the mangroves of the affected communities and the Atlantic Ocean which the spill has flowed into.
“After receiving information from the affected communities that an oil spill has been going on within communities in Eastern Obolo for months now due to oil exploration and production activities by Sterling Oil, we visited the communities and had seen that a large part of the mangrove at Akpabom community has been devastated by oil.
“At Emere-Oke community, we have also seen where the oil spills from the Durga 4 oil rig into the Atlantic Ocean. This is an unacceptable development as the aquatic environment will be deeply polluted.
“As reported by the community that this situation has been going on for months, we are deeply concerned that no action has been taken to address the spills. We are very worried over the impact this will have on aquatic lives and the environment”, Isuah-Ikoh stated.
He recalled that that Sterling Oil had a few months ago, accused by the state government of violating the terms of land grants and unlawful encroachment beyond its legally assigned portion in Eastern Obolo LGA, and surrounding communities, wondering why the firm should continue to violate and pollute the environment without imbibing best practices in the oil exploration and exploitation business.
“The company now allows oil spill to go on within its host communities unabated. We are calling on Sterling Oil to immediately stop the spill, clean up the environment and compensate the communities over the destruction of their environment.
“We are therefore calling on the National NOSDRA to investigate the spills and level of destruction caused so as to take actions in accordance with their mandate. Equally, we are appealing to the state government to be more sensitive and concerned over the operations of companies within the state through effective monitoring of their operations”.
