Global Rights Groups Expose Causes of Nembe Oil Spill, Write Bayelsa Government; “Italian Organization, Re;Common, UK based Group, The Corner House and famous Nigerian HEDA beam searchlights on the effect of the recent oil spill in Nembe area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria”
By Wale Abideen/LAGOS// The Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA Resource Centre and its partners in United Kingdom, UK and Italy have initiated investigations into the recent oil spill in Nembe area of Bayelsa state.
The groups, while quoting the Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor stated that “the spill can be compared to impact of atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima which occurred during the Second World War’.
Over the past month, an estimated 2 million barrels of hydrocarbons,including gas, have been spilling into the Niger Delta from a blow out at the OML 29 Santa Barbara Well 1 in Nembe, Bayelsa State. Oil from the spill, which is still continuing was said to have already reached the coast, devastating local mangroves and destroying fisheries.
The trio of Italian Organization, Re;Common, UK based Group, The Corner House and famous Nigerian HEDA beam searchlights on the effect of the recent oil spill in Nembe area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The non-governmental organizations’ who have worked in solidarity with communities in the Delta, were concerned that Despite the alarm raised by the Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri who described the spill as the worst he has seen in his lifetime, the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission has yet to comment on the spill.
The global rights bodies in a letter forwarded to the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission demands the assessment of the spill. The letter dated 2nd of December, 2021 which was exclusively obtained by SECURITY MONITOR request that the commission’s comments as well as findings are necessary at this critical time.
The letter which was signed by Nicholas Hildyard, Co-Director of The Corner House, UK Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman, HEDA, Nigeria and Luca Manes, Director, Re:Common from Italy added that” it is critical that the commission make its findings known as soon as possible”,
The right activists beleive that the “local communities retain trust in the Commission’s work” and would therefore expect its reaction over the spill.
According to the contents of the letter, “The Commission’s terms of reference are explicit that its work will include “investigating the environmental and human damage caused by the operations of the multinational oil companies, specifically as a result of oil spills, in Bayelsa State”
Although, OML 29 is now managed by a Nigerian company, Aiteo, it was previously operated by Shell. Findings, according to the activists depicts that Aiteo maintains that the pipelines that Shell sold to them were in a bad state of repair, mostly ruptured, and that Shell concealed their condition.
The groups however maintained that “the historical role of Shell in operating the OML 29 field must be investigated in order properly to assess the culpability for the spill”.
The Commission was also urged to issue an immediate statement that it will be investigating the spill.
“We would also urge a statement updating local communities and the wider world as to the status of the Commission’s investigations to date, since it is now almost three years since the Commission started operations”.
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