– Impacted communities demand transparency, accountability from operator
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Tension has gripped coastal communities in Nembe, Bayelsa State, following a fresh oil spill from an 8-inch crude delivery pipeline operated by Nembe Exploration and Production Company Limited, NEPCo, — formerly Aiteo Eastern E&P Company Ltd. — at Oil Mining Lease, OML29, discharging crude oil into the Santa Barbara River and surrounding settlements.
The spill, which occurred since on October 1st 2025, has yet to be fully quantified, but locals indicate extensive contamination of creeks and farmlands in the Tora axis of Nembe.
Residents fear that the incident could trigger another environmental disaster similar to the 2021 Santa Barbara blowout, which devastated livelihoods and ecosystems in the area.
In a strongly worded letter to NEPCo, the Opu Nembe Kingdom, through its legal counsel, Mr. Iniruo Wills, Managing Partner of Ntephe, Smith & Wills, condemned what it described as recurring pollution and weak response mechanisms by oil operators in the area.
“Our clients demand a thorough and competent investigation of this spill, and adequate management, including swift post-spill assessment and remediation,” Wills stated.
“Beyond this spill, we demand a top-level engagement between the company, community technical team, and regulators to establish a lasting framework that will put a stop to this unbearable and continual burden,” he added.
According to community sources, the spill has disrupted fishing activities and contaminated vital water sources, posing grave threats to the local economy and health of residents.
Fishermen reported heavy crude slicks spreading along the Santa Barbara River, with floating dead fish seen in affected creeks.
NEPCo, in a letter referenced NEPCo/HSE-JIV/2025/04 dated October 5, had confirmed the incident and proposed a Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, for October 6, in line with regulatory protocols to determine the cause and volume of the spill.
However, the Nembe communities rejected the proposed date, insisting that proper notice and inclusion of credible observers were necessary to ensure transparency.
“We remind you, as you are quite aware already, that the community requires and deserves decent notice to assemble a competent JIV team, some of whom usually come from Lagos, Port Harcourt, or Yenagoa,” the letter read.
“This is to ensure due diligence and to avoid or countervail the perennial practice of manipulating the JIV process and suppressing critical information.”
The community has since proposed another date for the JIV, calling on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, and environmental advocacy groups to participate in the exercise.
Environmental advocates have expressed concern that the recurring spills in OML29, one of the country’s largest onshore assets, highlight systemic regulatory lapses and aging infrastructure in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta.
Meanwhile, NEPCo officials have yet to issue a public statement on the extent of the spill or containment measures initiated, as cleanup efforts are expected to commence whenever the JIV is completed.
For many in Nembe, the latest spill is a painful reminder of what they describe as “a cycle of pollution without accountability.”
As the community braces for the aftermath, attention now turns to whether regulators and the operator will deliver a transparent process and tangible remediation this time around.
