Bayelsa communities awash in spills yet oil coys deny leak

Oil spills in the Niger Delta region are not new occurrences. But the source of the recent leaks that have devastated villages in Southern Ijaw LGAs remains a mystery as Chevron and Conoil deny the spill is from their pipelines

For many residents of Koluama I and II communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, life has not been the same since oil pipelines at the Funiwa Oil Field, said to be operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited and Conoil Producing Limited, spilt its content into creeks and waterways.

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Many residents have lamented the failure of the oil companies to own up over the spill that has devastated their communities.

Daily Trust learnt that the spillage, which occurred on Friday, January 15, 2021, has worsened pollution in the community and adjourning ones, affecting the socio-economic life of the coastal areas as fishermen now return home without as many fish as before.

Both Chevron and Conoil, whose facilities are said to be responsible for the spill, have denied any damage to their facility that could lead to any spill around the coastal lines.

According to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA)Act 2016, “An oil spiller is to report an oil spill to the Agency in writing, by fax or electronic mail not later than 24 hours after the occurrence of an oil spill in default of which the failure to report shall attract a penalty in the sum of N2,000,000 for each day of failure to report the occurrence.”

The act also states that “the failure to clean up the impacted site, to all practical extent including an action plan for remediation within two weeks of the occurrence of the spill in accordance with the polluter pays principle shall constitute an offence and on conviction, the oil spiller shall be liable to a fine not exceeding N5,000,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fine and imprisonment.

It was gathered that NOSDRA had summoned all the oil firms operating in the shallow waters near Koluama in Bayelsa State to identify the source of the leaks.

Director-General of NOSDRA, Mr Musa Idris had said in a telephone chat said that the spill regulatory agency would dispatch its officials to the incident site.

It was gathered that the investigating team, comprising officials of NOSDRA, Bayelsa State government and leaders of impacted communities later visited Conoil’s facility at Sangana waters and traced the spill to its facility.

An environmentalist and Head of Field Operations, Environment Right Action, Mr Alagoa Morris, who was on the entourage, explained that the visit was not the statutory Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) that usually follows a spill.

He said that the trip could not be a JIV as none of the oil companies operating in the area was represented, adding that it was a fact-finding mission to assess the level of impact on the people and the environment.

“The visit was an assessment trip to see things and suggest the way forward given the fact that no oil company has owned up. It cannot be a JIV because no oil company was represented. So, we shall submit an interim report to guide further action,” he said.

A Youth President of Koluama I community, Mr Kiwei Emmanuel, whose community was worst hit by the spill, said that the visiting team was made up of officials of Bayelsa State Ministries of Environment, Mineral Resources as well as Senior Special Assistant to the Bayelsa Governor on oil and gas.

According to him, the regulators, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and NOSDRA took samples from the sediments at the coastline for laboratory tests to trace the source of the pollution.

He disclosed that members of the team also saw heaps of fishing nets, fishing gear and accessories destroyed by the oil leak and traced the spread of the crude along the coast into the creeks and mangrove vegetation.

Speaking during the visit, a community leader in Kuluama I, and the Chairman, KEFFES RDF, Matthew Sele-epri who had on Sunday, January 17, went to the site to verify the claim said, “All the companies near the spot, Chevron Nigeria Limited and Conoil Producing Limited, have denied ownership of the oil facilities.

“We now wonder who owns the oil pipeline. We are going to engage the State Ministry of Environment to help us track the source.

“On January 22, 2021, the Bayelsa State government sent representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Mineral Resources to the site of the spillage to also verify the claim,” Sele-epri said.

The governor’s aide on oil and gas, Hon. Otele, said it was regrettable that Chevron and Conoil are still foot-dragging.

“Samples have been taken by DPR, NOSDRA and my office for confirmation from a laboratory test. Communities are crying for help for relief materials such as medical and foodstuffs. The spill is spreading very fast and has affected more communities like Sangana and Fishtown. The means of livelihood are badly affected,” Otele said.

This is only one of many oil spills in the country. Recently,a Dutch court of appeal sitting at the Hague had recently ordered Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to compensate four Bayelsa farmers affected by oil spills.

The court also ruled that the Nigerian arm of the company should clean-up the pollution from leaking oil pipelines.

The farmers from Oruma in Ogbia Local Government Area had dragged SPDC to court over a 2008 oil spill that adversely affected their farms.

SPDC said it was disappointed by the verdict, insisting that the incident in question was caused by sabotage.

Media Relations Manager of SPDC, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, said in a statement

that most leaks from its operations were caused by vandals.

“We continue to believe that the spills in Oruma and Goi were the result of sabotage,” he said. “We are therefore disappointed that this court has made a different finding on the cause of these spills and in its finding that SPDC is liable.

“Sabotage, crude oil theft and illegal refining are a major challenge in the Niger Delta.

“In 2019, around 95% of spill incidents from our operations there were due to such criminal acts.

“Regardless of the cause, we clean up and remediate, as we have done with the spills in this case. SPDC also works with a range of stakeholders to find solutions to these complex issues. Like all Shell-operated ventures globally, we are committed to operating safely and protecting the local environment,” Odugbesan said.