Bayelsa elders seek remediation over Agip’s 48 years environmental pollution

Elders and youths of Brass Kingdom in Bayelsa State have written to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NOAC) over the alleged delay in the remediation and compensation for the over 2.6 billion barrel of toxic waste dumped into the Brass canal due to the operational activities of the company in the area.

According to the Brass Elders, though repeated promises and failures have been made by Agip management to the Bayelsa State Government and its host communities in Brass Local Government, the continued annual discharge of the over 150,000 barrels of toxic waste by the Italian oil giant into the Brass River through the canal has contaminated soil, ground waters, and air quality of the area, and degraded the health and livelihood of the people of brass kingdom.

The leaders of the Brass Kingdom, through their legal counsel, Hon. Iniruo Wills and Dr. Dickson Omukoro of the Ntephe, Smith and Wills law chambers, in a letter to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), pointed out that the letter is a reminder to the company for the desperate need for proper remediation of environmental damage caused by the continual discharge of toxic waste at the brass terminal daily for 48 years.

“The community needs adequate compensation based on impartial impact assessment and a restoration and pollution prevention plan per best practice.

The Brass Kingdom also drew the attention of NOAC management to the current long-drawn process for finding a lasting resolution of the continual scourge from Brass Canal/Oil terminal that triggered lots of petitions and subsequent exchanges and engagement to the office of the minister of state for petroleum resources and other regulatory agencies.

In the letter to Agip and addressed to the managing director, the people of Brass Kingdom insisted that though they have remained patient and law-abiding over the issue, “we put you on notice to stop desperate attempts by your officers to compromise or induce key interests, aimed at evading regulatory compliance, frustrating the ministerial directive for an independent comprehensive impact assessment and to corruptly waive NOAC’s environmental obligations to the people of the Brass Kingdom.

“The backdoor attempts referenced are examples of the practice of some oil industry operators that has caused protracted conflict and insecurity in the Niger Delta, which NOAC should be wary of.”

On the series of engagement among the various stakeholders, regulatory agencies and the people of Brass Kingdom, the counsels to the Brass Kingdom accused Agip of “persistently trying to frustrate the conduct of the CIA directed by the minister of state for petroleum resources and allegedly hoodwinked the people of Brass Kingdom into signing away their constitutionally guaranteed rights to a clean, healthy environment and adequate compensation for damage suffered.”