Stop gas pollution in our communities- N/Delta communities to Shell, Mobil

Lovina Anthony, Akwa-ibom

The people of Eteo Community in Eleme local government area of Rivers State and the Okoro-Utip Community in Ibeno local government area of Akwa Ibom State have called on the multinational Oil giants (Shell, Mobil) to stop the pollution and other gas flares in the areas.

They also called on them to remediate their impacted environment and ensure it is returned to the original state before they started their exploration

This was part of the resolutions the two communities took at the end of Farmers community Town Hall meeting on “Land Right and Fight Against Land Grabbing” organized by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) held at Okoro-Utip community hall, Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State

Chief Enyina Wilson, Secretary of Okoro-Utip village council who spoke on behalf of his community recounted the ordeal his people face in the midst of extractivism by Exxon Mobil in their community.

He lamented that their rivers and farmlands have been polluted by oil spills even the air they breath due to incessant gas flares and called for environmental justice.

His words, “All we want is environmental justice. they should repair and restore our land to its original state. We want these oil companies to stop the gas flares. Our people are dieing and they don’t care about us.

On his part, Gabriel Olomi from Eteo Community, Rivers State called for environmental restoration and financial compensation for people who have lost their means of livelihood to oil spills, especially the June 2023 spill in his community.

Recounting his ordeal at the 2023 spills and making some demands, he said; “we woke up on 13 June 2023 and saw oil all over our streams, in the next one week we discovered it was NNPC property. They came in the night with armed men and sealed the place and all the water, drinking water, fishes were destroyed.

“We have written letters to the House of Assembly, to the Senate, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and nothing has been done. We want them to bring our land to the original status so that we have back our source of living, my place is like a dead zone, no fishing activities, no water to drink. We want a total removal of the dilapidated pipes so that such things will not occur again.” He stated.

Responding, the Director of Climate Change and Environmental Awareness at the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Ini Umo who represented the Commissioner, Uno Etim said, State government have reviewed and strengthened some environmental policies to make them more people friendly.

She also advised the people not to engage in activities that would be inimical to the environment noting that government was willing to look into their prayers.

Earlier, the Executive Director, HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey an Environmental expert challenged the oil Communities to stand for themselves and see how to solve their problems having learnt enough from the organization.

He described the communities as victims of issues they never stressing on the need for environmental and social justice for all oil producing communities in the Niger Delta.

Bassey also decried the level of derelict and abandoned oil wells in the Niger Delta noting that they are waiting time bombs even as he called on governments to ensure proper decommissioning of the abandoned wellheads.

Recall that the organisation (HOMEF) had trained the oil ravaged communities in both Rivers and Akwa Ibom on Agroecology and Mangrove Restoration to see how they can begin to heal and revive their destroyed communities.