Environmental Rights Group call for immediate clean up of oil impacted sites in Ogoni

Some environmental rights group in the Niger Delta are calling for a thorough clean up of Bodo community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers state impacted by recent oil spill from the pipe passing the area.

The coordinator of the National Correlation on Gas Flaring and Oil Spills in the Niger Delta, Inemo Samema, made the call at a press briefing in Port Harcourt. 

He said the oil spill which resulted in fire outbreak caused serious damage to the environment and the livelihood of the people of Bodo community who are mainly farmers and fishermen.

He said:

“We are requesting that there is a thorough clean up of the Bodo environment, but not just the Bodo environment or other spill-impacted site in Ogoni land, but across the Niger Delta region.

“We want, following the UNEP report and the recommendations of the UNEP report which are focused on Ogoni land, but we also want the oil companies and not only Shell SPDC to carry out proper clean up and remediation of spill impacted sites across the region.

“These polluted communities are suffering, the health of the people are seriously affected by the spills and causes of this oil pollution and the impact of the environment, we all know has been devastating”

Inemo Samema also called for the review of whether the Trans Niger pipeline can be safely operated can in the Niger Delta environment.

“The oil and gas pollution impact coalition is calling for an immediate review of whether the Trans Niger pipeline can be operated safely. This call is as a result of the fire and spill which broke out south of Bodo community on April 19th and the main question that have arisen around the integrity of the pipeline and security across the pipeline network.

“We are shocked at the level of this spill, its management and the arrest of Shell contractors in the immediate aftermath on suspicion of involvement with oil theft”

It was also gathered that the Trans Niger pipeline operated by Shell and its joint venture partner, the NNPC, conveys over 150, 000 barrels of crude oil per day to the Bonny terminal.