Posted by The Vanguard on
FOR more than 40 communities stretched across Ughelli South, Okpe and Burutu local governments of Delta State, life has not been the same in the past few weeks, following massive oil spillages from the facilities of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
FOR more than 40 communities stretched across Ughelli South, Okpe and Burutu local governments of Delta State, life has not been the same in the past few weeks, following massive oil spillages from the facilities of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). It is as if the gods of the land are angry over the severe exploitation going on in the region and have staged a rebellion. But while officials of the multinational company blamed the entire affair on sabotage by the communities, the villagers say it is equipment failure and are demanding compensation, running into billions of naira from the oil company.
About five persons were said to have been hospitalized at Ughelli South local government by the council boss, Mr. Mathew Akporayen, as a result of the gaseous chemicals they allegedly inhaled. He named the affected communities in his area, as Otu-Jeremi, Ayagha, Erhuwaren, Agbowhiame, Oginibo, Okwagbe, Egbo-Ideh, Ihwreogu,Ophirigbala, Ogurukama,Okuama, Gbaregolor,Olota, Ekameta, Osusu-Urhie, Iwhrekan, Edhioge and Amasomo.
While the Ughelli communities are slugging it out with SPDC which shut down its flow station in the area to contain the spill, residents of Ugbokodo in Okpe local government who woke up, July 4, to see crude oil pumping directly on their farmlands, swamps and creeks with the entire area polluted were angry that the oil company is alleging sabotage on their part.
In Burutu local government, Utorogu, Matolo and Kigbodo communities were said to be most affected. SPDC's external affairs manager (Western Division), Mr. Harriman Oyofo told Sunday Vanguard that investigations by the company showed that its equipment were tampered with by unknown persons and that efforts by the company to stop the spread were resisted by the youths.
The company official said the communities "under such circumstance would want the oil to spread and cover many areas so that they can make huge claims for compensation".
Chairman of Ughelli South, Mr. Akporayen pooh-poohed the allegation, saying that in the case of the spillage that occurred in his local government, SPDC officials were contacted but the company came with equipment that could not stop the leakage, forcing the oil to continue leaking. He said that it was many days after the incident that it finally clamped the affected area.
The damage in the local government was extensive. Sunday Vanguard visited Iwhrekan community where it was discovered that large expanse of farmlands and river were devastated. The tension in the community was palpable as the elders of the community had sent town criers round, announcing to their people not to strike matches or take any inflamable near the spill points. The mortal fear in this community and its environs is understandable because it harbours a gas plant which could explode at the slightest cause.
The people of Ugbokodo raised alarm penultimate week, that except the government intervened immediately, the community would be subjected to health hazards, plagues and untold death tolls arising from the spillage, they also said they were facing starvation as their entire stream and farmlands have been polluted. They complained in a July 17, letter to the general manager of the SPDC (West), signed by their spokesman, Captain W.E. Adugbo, Mr. Walter Augoye (secretary) and Mr. Tobore Adjisha (the community's Olotu) that the oil firm was using soldiers to intimidate them, an allegation that Mr. Oyofo debunked, saying instead that it was when the Ugbokodo youths stopped the company's workers from gaining access to the spillage point in the community to perform their job that security men had to escort the workers to the site.
Like the Ughelli South case, Ugbokodo people claimed that: "SPDC staff in the presence of their armed soldiers and policemen started the clamping of the pipes but as a result of their poor handling and inefficiency, they removed the clamp and the spill went out of hand and SPDC staff ran away and abandoned the site while the trunk line continue to flood the river and its environ resulting in flooding of the farmland , rivers and all the creeks".According to them, "the community is directly inhaling the carbon and chemical of the crude which is felt everywhere in the community resulting in sneezing, drowsiness and running of the nose and eyes. These effect will be continuous except SPDC intervenes promptly and maturely. It would be recalled that in 1972, Ugbokodo lost a man and his pregnant wife as a result of oil spillage".
Mr. Oyofo told this newspaper when contacted about the Ugbokodo complaint that the company intervened promptly and maturely as they requested, adding: "As I am talking to you now, we have clamped the place from where the spillage occurred. Our findings showed that our equipment was tampered with and that was what resulted in the spill".
Spokesman of Kiagbodo and Matolo communities, Mr. Edoh Henry asserted that the people have not been able get water to drink as their river was polluted. He said that aquatic life in the two communities had been destroyed. On the Ughelli spill, the SPDC said it was not true as reported by some media houses that there was immediate danger in the area as a result of the spillage. It said that after a peaceful negotiation with the affected host communities, the leaking points at the 16th Utorogu-UPS trunk line with a capacity of 10,000 bpd at Edjophe and Iwhrekan were excavated and clamped, while recovery of the spilled crude into fast tanks commenced immediately.
On Otu-Jeremi, it stated that excavation and repair works started after the Joint Investigation Team after the youths who disallowed the workers from gaining access to the spill site were engaged. "It is pertinent to note that the initial efforts in spill containment at Out-Jeremi were frustrated by some youths who wanted immediate employment and contract award for spill clean up. This was further compounded by a claim from the communities that a sacred Shrine was located near the spill site", a statement from the company said.
The Delta State House of Assembly intervened as soon as the matter was brought to the attention of the lawmakers by passing a resolution, calling on the oil company to clean up the spill in the affected communities and provide the affected people with relief materials.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. George Ugbomah, who visited some of the affected communities, however, called on the communities to be calm, saying that the government would ensure that a proper Joint Inspection Investigation (JIV) and clean up were carried out.
An SPDC community liaison official who did not dispute the claim of spillage by the community, told this reporter that "the spillage occurred in the company's right of way" but in the opinion of Commissioner Ugbomah: "Even if SPDC claims that the spill occurred on their right of way, it is within an environment, that it is their right of way does not mean that it does not affect the environment, the normal procedure must be put in place".