Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Seven weeks after fire explosion occurred at an illegal oil refining site in Rumucholu forest, Ibaa community in Emuohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, survivors and victims of the incident are in anguish, pain and despair.
Recall that a fire explosion rocked an illegal oil refining site in the early hours of October 1st, 2023, claiming over 35 lives, including two pregnant women, at Rumucholu community in Ibaa, Emuohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
A visit to the community seven weeks after reveals that victims of the fire explosion are seen all over the community nursing their injuries, which are still fresh in their bodies.
The incident site which is over 20 minutes motorcycle ride from the community, shows that despite the mass burial conducted and some corpses taken home for burial, numerous human skeletons and decaying bodies still litter the site with offensive odour.
Food crops like cassava and other plants around the incident site are struggling to grow back, while the whole ground is filled with ashes, described by the community guide as human remains; also, a mixture of decomposed human bodies and crude oil was seen on stagnant water at the site, showing different incomprehensible colours.
Members of the community say Ibaa has witnessed two major illegal refinery explosions in less than one year, namely the December 1st, 2022, explosion and the October 1st, 2023, explosion, both of them killing many persons and leaving many more persons wounded.
A victim of the fire explosion, identified as Theophilus, said he came back from school to join the illegal business to raise his school fees when he and his younger sister were caught in the December 1st, 2022, explosion.
Theophilus who could not lift his arms, said his mother also lost her life in the October 1st, 2023, explosion as she had gone to the site to buy kerosene for her daily retail business to make ends meet, but was unfortunate to die in the explosion.
He called on the government and well-meaning Nigerians to come to his aid, as he needs a series of medical surgeries to be normal again.
He said, ” I was in school and came back home to do a little business so that I could raise money for my school fees, and I was caught in the December 1, 2022, explosion which also burnt my younger sister, who is still nursing fresh wounds on her leg since December 1, 2022, till date.
“My mother in the process of buying the illegally refined product to sell so that she could earn income to feed the family was also caught in the explosion of October 1, 2023, that killed over 35 people and she died.”
Reacting, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC Nigeria charged the government and oil companies operating in Ibaa community to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for the youths and people of Ibaa, to forestall incessant incidents of illegal refinery explosions.
Executive Director of YEAC Nigeria, Mr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, also cautioned the youths of Ibaa against all forms of artisanal refineries, pollution, associated explosions and killings.
Fyneface while addressing members of Ibaa community, said unemployment was the underlying issue that drove the youths into artisanal refineries where most of them meet their untimely deaths.
He said, “The government, international community and oil companies operating Ibaa community should provide alternative livelihood opportunities for the youths and people of Ibaa to forestall the ugly incidents of the artisanal refinery explosions from future occurrences as it doesn’t seem as if it has been completed stopped.
“The youths of not only Ibaa community but many other communities in the Niger Delta are engaged in artisanal refineries due to unemployment and lack of alternative livelihoods opportunities.”
Asked what these alternative livelihood opportunities should be, Fyneface said, “It should include but not be limited to President Bola Tinubu issuing the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s approved 18 Modular Refinery Licenses for employment opportunities for these youths.
“Also, establishing the YEAC-Nigeria’s proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative, PACORDI, that will modernise, legalise and integrate artisanal refineries into the national economy. Also, the establishment of industrial parks in the Niger Delta region to train and build the capacity of youths with skills that can earn them legitimate alternative livelihood opportunities, among others.”
