Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — A fresh oil spill from a pipeline operated by the NNPC Ltd has rocked K-Dere community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, devastating the environment and inflicting damage on the livelihood of the people in the area.
The spill, which became noticeable on January 3, 2024, is said to have occurred on the NNPC’s pipeline right of way, through which crude oil is being pumped to the Port Harcourt Refinery currently undergoing test-running.Confirming the development, the spokesperson of the K-Dere Steering Committee, Chief Norteh Miebari, alleged a cover-up by the management of NNPC, lamenting that the health of people was at stake.
He said: “Up till this moment, nothing has been done at the spill site. A pipeline owned by a subsidiary of NNPC Ltd. We call on the federal government which owns the pipeline to come to the aid of the community, as we will resist all the dirty approaches being employed by the company; because pouring cement on the pipe without clamping the pipe is a timebomb that can lead to explosion anytime.”Also, the President of Ogoni Oil Bearing Communities, Chief Donald Gberesu, decried the neglect of the people by international oil companies, IOCs, alleging that the spill was caused by equipment failure.
Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Mr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, charged NOSDRA to invoke relevant sections of the Petroleum Industry Act in the circumstances, which include payment of adequate compensation to the community if confirmed the spills were caused by equipment failure and cleaning up the spill site.
