The oil spill from an Aiteo well in Nembe on November 5 has spread to communities, fishing and farming settlements in Abureni clan in Ogbia and Abua/Odual LGAs in Bayelsa and Rivers states, respectively.
The Abureni Kingdom’s elders and leaders, led by the monarch, Collins Daniel, stated this during a press conference in Yenagoa on Tuesday.
Daniel stated that the massive leak impacted not only Nembe communities, but also his communities that crisscrossed the two neighboring council areas in both states.
He was flanked by the national president of the Ogbia Brotherhood, Seiyibofa Azibalagoa, and the chairman of the Ogbia Local Government Area, Mr Ebinyu Turner.
Chief Inatimi Okiori, Chief Milton Eghoi-Ikoni, Chief James Ewa-Adisa, Chief Simeon Opuso, and Chief Michael Edighotu are among those who will attend the event.
Idema, Eboh, Obeduma, Iduma, Emago-Kugbo, Akani (Oghan), Amorokeni, Amuruto I and II, Oruan (Atubo I), Emalo, and Abu are among the communities affected, according to Daniel.
Oboghe, Adueni, Emata-Theophilus (Mokili), Omomema, Ebililagh, Emata-Amoni, Emaerkirika, Emataiwaribo, Obhyoghan, Emata-Abiosi, Idumanamugbo, Emata-Inemo, and Emataebi are among the others.
While appealing for help for the communities, Daniel stated, “This incident has resulted in economic losses, environmental pollution, environmental degradation, misery, and diseases to our people.”
According to him, the oil company’s management had not visited any of the communities or the king to express empathy or to send relief materials and medical supplies to alleviate the growing trauma among those displaced by the incident.
As a result, Daniel demanded that the entire Abureni communities and settlements affected by the spill be cleaned up properly, using renowned experts and international best practices.
He also demanded that the polluted environment be remedied and that all property belonging to the people be assessed in order for the oil company to pay adequate compensation without discrimination.
“We demand that Abureni communities and their leaders participate in stakeholder meetings regarding the oil spill.”
“Construction of the 25-kilometer Ogbia Town-Iduma-Kugbo Road, which was previously agreed to be completed by SPDC (Aiteo’s predecessor).”
“The Abureni communities will be relieved, and their social relations with Aiteo will improve as a result.”
“Justice must be served on all host, affected, and impacted communities and individuals, including non-indigenous businesses operating on our land.” Collins explained.
In his remarks, the chairman of Ogbia LGA, Ebinyu Turner, commended the people of Abureni Kingdom for their peaceful conduct and called for a thorough clean-up of the pollution as well as compensation for the people.
Furthermore, Mr Alagoa Morris, an environmentalist, explained that the Santa Barbara River, which had been polluted by crude discharge for more than a month, flows in opposite directions depending on high and low tides.
He claimed that the phenomenon was to blame for the spread of crude oil from the well to Santa Barbara River tributaries and creeks in Nembe, as well as Abureni settlements in Bayelsa and Rivers.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the demands follow Gov. Douye Diri’s pledge of support to affected communities when he visited the spill site on December 1.
350 bags of rice, 200 bags of beans, 200 bags of garri, 100 bags of salt, 1000 cartons of noodles, 50 cartons of beverages, 50 cantons of 2 in 1 bathing soap, and 50 cantons of sugar are among the items.