Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Victims of hydrocarbon pollution in the Niger Delta have cried out over years of neglect, deteriorating health, and environmental degradation caused by oil exploration activities, as they demand urgent government intervention and justice from multinational oil companies.
At a multi-sectoral dialogue organised by a civil society group, We The People, in Port Harcourt, victims from Rivers, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom states gave harrowing accounts of how contaminated water, dead farmlands, and toxic exposure have upended their lives, yet no help has come from either government or the oil companies responsible.
“We are dying in silence. I have buried my father, my stepmother, and my sister, all within a few years, because of what crude oil has done to our land and water,” said Princewill Chukwure from Ibaa community in Rivers State.
Chukwure revealed that in 2016, crude oil was discovered seeping from the water well in his compound, later traced to a ruptured pipeline from a Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, manifold, now operated by Renaissance Energy.
“We reached out to Shell and NOSDRA (National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency). They invited us for a meeting but since then, nothing has happened. No cleanup. No compensation,” he said.
According to Chukwure, independent tests confirmed the presence of dangerous hydrocarbon compounds, including high levels of benzene, in their drinking water. Blood tests also found traces of these compounds in his family.
“We are not asking for charity. We are demanding justice.
“My father died of chronic heart failure, liver and kidney failure. It’s there in the death certificate. These are classic symptoms of hydrocarbon poisoning,” he said.
Anele Umesie, another victim who attended the event in a wheelchair, shared a similar story. In 2021, crude oil was discovered in his family’s well. By then, he and his family had unknowingly consumed the contaminated water for years.
“All the crops in my compound have died. I can no longer walk. Yet, SPDC has done nothing to clean our land or care for our health,” he said.
Women from Otuabagi (the community where oil was first discovered in commercial quantity) in Bayelsa also spoke of abandoned farmlands, poisoned water, and hunger due to poor crop yields. Medical tests, they said, confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons in their bloodstream.
“We can’t grow food anymore. We can’t drink our water. We are suffering and no one is listening,” one woman said, her voice breaking with emotion.
Convener of the dialogue and Executive Director of We The People, Mr Ken Henshaw, accused the government of gross negligence and complicity in the crisis.
“The Nigerian government has shown zero concern for the health of Niger Delta people. They benefit from the oil, but leave the people to die,” Henshaw said.
He added that the event aimed to galvanize support for reparative justice, including a comprehensive health audit, environmental cleanup, and compensation for impacted communities.
“We want to force the oil companies, Shell, Chevron, Total, Agip, Mobil, to return and take responsibility for what they’ve caused. And if they don’t, we will go to court,” he declared.
Public health expert, Dr. Bieye Briggs, called the situation a public health emergency and urged the government to stop abdicating its constitutional responsibility.
“The death toll is rising. Strange illnesses are becoming normal in oil communities. The government must act. A health audit is not optional, it is overdue,” he warned.
The victims and We The People called for reparative justice, urgent remediation of polluted areas, and legal action if the government and oil companies continue to ignore their plight.
