Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Residents of Obololi Community in Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State are struggling to survive after a major oil spill from a Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, facility contaminated their rivers, leaving them without clean drinking water and killing marine life.
The spill, which occurred about two weeks ago in the Tarakiri clan of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, has severely polluted the community’s main water source.
“We use our river for everything—drinking, cooking, fishing, and bathing. Now, it’s covered in crude oil,” said Goodnews Vincent Okoi, the Community Development Committee, CDC Chairman.
A team from the Environmental Defenders Network, EDEN, led by Deputy Executive Director Alalgoa Morris, who visited the site alleged that the spill was caused by equipment failure.
Morris noted that despite Shell placing containment booms in the river, crude oil has spread over 1.5 kilometers, covering riverbanks, farmlands, and floating vegetation.
“The water hyacinths have melted, the banks are heavily soiled with crude, and dead fish are everywhere. The volume of crude is massive,” Morris said.
Local women say the spill has devastated their livelihoods. “We can’t fish, we can’t fetch water. Dead fish are floating everywhere. How are we supposed to survive?” lamented Florence Clarkson, a resident of the community.
In response, the Southern Ijaw Local Government has reactivated an old borehole to provide temporary relief, but residents say more urgent action is needed.
Meanwhile, EDEN’s Executive Director, Chima Williams, has called on Shell to immediately conduct a Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, and begin cleanup efforts.
Williams also urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, and government agencies to hold Shell accountable.
“We demand immediate relief materials from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and full remediation of the environment. Shell cannot continue to destroy communities without consequences,” Williams stated.
As of the time of filing this report, Shell has not issued a public statement regarding the volume of crude oil spilt into Obololi environment, nor the cause of the spill as well as remediation efforts.
