Nembe oil spill: HOMEF demands cleanup, compensation
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation has demanded an immediate cleanup of the Nembe Creek oil spill, compensation for affected fishing communities and full disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The spill occurred on 22 August 2026 during crude oil loading operations at Oil Mining Lease 29, operated by Nembe Exploration and Production Ltd., formerly known as Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Ltd.
Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation has demanded an immediate cleanup of the Nembe Creek oil spill, compensation for affected fishing communities and full disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The spill occurred on 22 August 2026 during crude oil loading operations at Oil Mining Lease 29, operated by Nembe Exploration and Production Ltd., formerly known as Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Ltd.
HOMEF made the demands after a field assessment of the affected area, where its officials observed crude oil on waterways and along mangrove banks. The organisation said the smell of crude oil was noticeable about two kilometres before reaching the community.
It added that residents reported that tidal movements had carried the pollution through interconnected waterways and fishing settlements, disrupting fishing activities and threatening livelihoods.
Fishing is a major source of food and income for residents of the affected communities. According to HOMEF, residents reported damaged fishing nets, declining fish catches and restricted access to waterways for fishing and domestic activities.
Vice-Chairlady of Nembe Creek women, Mrs Love Mark, said the pollution had rendered fishing nets unusable.
“We cannot go out with our fishing nets and hooks for fishing again,” Mark said, adding that replacing a fishing net now costs between N150,000 and N170,000.
The Paramount Ruler of Nembe Creek communities, HRH Agent Waya, said repeated pollution had severely depleted aquatic life and fishing resources.
“Due to the destruction of aquatic life, there are no fish in the river,” Waya said, adding that fishermen could use two or three canoes and return without a catch.
The Joint Investigation Visit into the incident attributed the leak to operational failure. However, HOMEF said the volume of crude discharged and the full geographical extent of the pollution had remained inconclusive as of 1 September.
HOMEF Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said establishing the cause of an oil spill should not end the accountability process.
Bassey linked the latest incident to the wider history of pollution associated with OML 29, including the prolonged Santa Barbara Well 1 spill and wellhead blowout in 2021. He described recurring spills as a systemic environmental governance problem rather than isolated incidents.
HOMEF called on Nembe Exploration and Production Ltd., the Bayelsa State Government and relevant federal regulatory agencies to publish the complete JIV findings, including the cause, estimated volume, geographical spread and communities affected.
It also demanded an independent environmental assessment of the affected waterways, mangroves, fishing grounds and settlements, followed by immediate cleanup and ecological restoration.
The foundation called for compensation for verified economic and livelihood losses, including damaged fishing equipment and lost fishing time, as well as urgent relief for households whose livelihoods had been disrupted.
It further urged authorities to ensure that all affected communities and fishing camps are included in damage assessments, cleanup operations and environmental monitoring.
HOMEF also called for sustained monitoring of water, sediments, fish and other aquatic organisms, as well as stronger spill prevention and emergency response measures around crude-loading facilities.
The organisation said the authorities should address the broader environmental legacy of OML 29 and consider the impact of vessel movements and navigational buoys on fishing grounds and equipment.
It said the people of Nembe Creek deserved clean waterways, protected livelihoods and environmental justice.
Nembe Exploration and Production Ltd. had not publicly provided details of its containment or remediation efforts as of the time of filing this report.
