Ini Billie, Uyo
Niger Delta communities of Akwa Ibom and Rivers states are demanding justice over environmental pollution caused by multinational oil giants, ExxonMobil and Shell.
Okoro-Utip and Eteo Communities in Ibeno local government area, Akwa Ibom State and Eleme LGA, Rivers State respectively appealed following persistent oil spills and gas flaring in their communities due to the extractive activities of the multinational oil companies.
They also tasked them to end the pollution, remediate their impacted environment and ensure it is returned to the original state before exploration activities started.
This was part of the resolution of the communities at the end of the Farmers community Town Hall meeting on “Land Right and Fight Against Land Grabbing” organized by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) 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 faced amid extractivism by ExxonMobil.
Wilson lamented that their rivers, farmlands and even the air they breathe have been polluted by oil spills and incessant gas flaring, and called for environmental justice.
“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 dying and they don’t care about us,” he said.
While speaking, Gabriel Olomi from Eteo Community in Rivers State called for environmental restoration and financial compensation for people who have lost their livelihood to oil spills, especially, the June 2023 spill in his community.
He said, “We woke up on June 13, 2023, and saw oil all over our streams. In the next 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, and fish 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 state so that we have back our source of living. My place is like a dead zone, with no fishing activities or water to drink. We want a total removal of the worn pipes so that such things will not occur again”.
In response, the State Government said it has reviewed and strengthened some environmental policies to make them more people-friendly.
The Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Mr Uno Etim, who was represented by Mrs Ini Umo, Director of Climate Change and Environmental Awareness in the ministry advised the people not to engage in activities that would be inimical to the environment, saying the government is willing to look into their request.
Earlier, the Executive Director, HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, an Environmental expert, challenged the oil communities to stand up for themselves and see how to solve their problems, having learnt enough from the organisation.
Bassey described the communities as victims of issues they never knew about and called for environmental and social justice for all oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta.
He decried the level of derelict and abandoned oil wells in the Niger Delta region, noting that they are waiting time bombs, and urged the Federal and State Governments to ensure proper decommissioning of the abandoned wellheads.
It can be recalled that HOMEF had trained the oil-ravaged communities in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States on Agroecology and Mangrove Restoration to see how they can begin to heal and revive their destroyed communities.