Bayelsa raps Shell on oil spill response

In an interview in Yenagoa yesterday, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Iniruo Wills, lamented that several meetings with officials of the oil firm on the spills were fruitless.
The commissioner was reacting to the response of SPDC to a spill incident at Shell’s Seibou oil well at Ogboinbiri in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area where Shell had claimed that the incident had no adverse effect on the environment.
He described as insensitive, the stance of the oil firm on the spill which was traced to equipment failure and discharged some 550 barrels of crude into the river.
The spill is said to have polluted Ogboinbiri River which served as fresh water source to several settlements along the river bank in Southern Ijaw LGA of the state.
The commissioner explained that the government remained committed to its new policy of ensuring that operators in the state complied with existing regulations and international best practices.
He said henceforth, the government would insist that no matter the cause of spill – whether equipment failure or sabotage – the site would be promptly cleaned up and remediated.
“We made it clear from the onset that it cannot be business as usual. The Seibou oil well leak is a test case and so far we are totally dissatisfied with SPDC’s posture.
“It goes to show the level of corporate impunity in the sector. I must say that we are not satisfied with Shell’s handling of spill incidents in our communities.
“We are extremely disappointed and it is a mark of insensitivity and it is regrettable and unacceptable for oil companies to operate without feeling the effect of their operation on the ecosystem and larger environment,” Wills said.
The commissioner said that the ministry had commenced discussions with the impacted communities with a view to seeking legal redress for the impact of the spill.