Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, Yeac-Nigeria, says with the ongoing divestment of onshore and shallow offshore upstream assets by international oil companies, the issue of oil spills and environmental pollution will be worse under indigenous oil operators.
Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Mr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, speaking exclusively to SweetCrude Reports in Port Harcourt, said already the facilities being sold out by IOCs were obsolete and worn out, corollary with indigenous oil operators’ lack of capacity, technology and resources to prevent spill incidents.
Fyneface recalled the historic 2021 well blowout at a facility operated by Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Ltd. which rocked Santa Barbara River in Nembe, Bayelsa State for over two months, spewing thousands of barrels of crude oil and gas fumes into every nook and crannies of Bayelsa creeks; the incident which the Bayelsa State Government took Aiteo and NOSDRA to court.
The renowned environmentalist also lamented over the incessant cases of well blowouts and massive oil spills incident experienced by another indigenous oil firm, Eroton Exploration and Production Company Ltd.
He warned that without alternative livelihoods opportunities for the youths, it will be difficult to entirely eradicate third party interference on oil assets and the concomitant artisanal refining activities, adding that the solutions to the menace have already been researched, tried and tested, compiled and submitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by YEAC-Nigeria.
The environmental justice campaigner and oil industry watcher, said oil firms refused to comply with extant laws, regulations and guidelines in environmental management in Nigeria’s petroleum industry due to weak monitoring, regulatory and punitive institutions in the country.
He said, “With ongoing divestment of IOCs to indigenous companies, the oil spills are going to be worst in Nigeria and the Niger Delta.
“The IOCs are not only divesting old and obsolete facilities, but the indigenous companies lack the capacity, technology, resources and experience to prevent oil spill incidents in their operational base, especially with the upsurge of the activities of artisanal refiners in the absence of alternative livelihood opportunities through modular refineries, Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative, PARCORDI, among others.
“For the country to be able hold oil companies to strictly comply with extant laws, regulations and guidelines on environmental management in the petroleum industry, NOSDRA and the Ministry of Environment must sit up in their regulatory and response functions.
“The government must properly fund NOSDRA and related Ministries, Departments and Agencies; while the judiciary must ensure the diligent prosecution of violation and non-compliance to extant laws, regulations and guidelines by oil companies including indigenous firms; as well as end gas flaring by commercializing the soot generating and poisonous gas being flared since 1950s till date.”
