KALABA-RESIDENTS  of oil-bearing  communities, among them Otuabagi, Kalaba and Peremabiri in Bayelsa State, have complained of high mortality rate, loss of means of livelihood and bizarre earth tremors allegedly caused by despoliation of their environment by oil companies.

•His Royal Highness Lawrence Idumesaro & •Chief Nengi James-Eriworio

Some of their leaders who spoke to Niger Delta Voice, NDV, said the companies have damaged their environment and left them poorer than they met them with no electricity, water and good roads to assuage their regrettable plight.

Crude oil destroys our farm lands- Kalaba ruler

Paramount ruler of Kalaba community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, His Highness, Chief Rowland Orukale, infamous for frequent oil spills, bemoaned in an interview:

“And as Ijaw people, who depend on fishing and farming as traditional occupation, oil spills have denied many people the right to their source of livelihood.  When these oil spills are not cleaned-up and when flood sets in, it carries this crude to farmlands and farmers no longer farm on those lands and if they happen to farm there, they will only have low produce.    So, it affects our farm system and fishing activities.

“Some people find it difficult to train their children because the means of livelihood has been affected. Some have been forced to relocate to other settlements. Health wise, some people have experienced stroke, rashes, just recently, we experienced  earth tremors, all because of oil activities,” he said.

Our youths roam about jobless – Otuabagi monarch, chair

The traditional ruler of Otuabagi, HRH Lawrence Idumesaro, Obim V, whose community, Oloibiri and Otuogidi in the present-day Ogbia Local Government Area of the state were in the old Oloibiri Province where oil was struck over sixty years ago, told NDV:  “If you are told that this community is where oil was first struck in the whole of West Africa, you will not believe it.

“In terms of development or infrastructure we have nothing, we are suffering here. The youths and young men are suffering and roaming about jobless. No electricity, no water, no good roads, In fact, we are living in bondage, while they use our oil to develop other areas.”

Community Development Chairman of Otuabagi II, Mr. James Samuel, asserted: “We have been suffering for a very long time since 1956 without aid from anywhere. We are not asking for too much, but we should boast of the basic things in life like water, electricity and gainful employment for our youths.

“We have about 20 oil locations around our community and we are suffering from pollution. Our environment is polluted, our rivers are polluted, and we no longer fish in our rivers. Our soil has been polluted, making farming basically an unfruitful pastime. Even bush meat hunting has been disrupted due to pollution. Oil exploration has devastated our environment and means of livelihood.”

Stressing the negative impact that activities of the oil companies have had on the community, Mr.. Samuel said: “Our youths are idle because they are not engaged. There are no scholarship opportunities and skills acquisition programmes; am a graduate but unemployed because there are no jobs. We are suffering. We are humbly appealing to government at all levels and Shell to come to our aid. Even though we don’t have jobs, but we are entitled to live in a comfortable environment.”

Our people dying in silence

He added: “You can imagine that from 1956 till date, this community has no potable water except polluted water from creeks and rivers. We cannot count the number of deaths due to epidemic ravaging our community. Our people are dying every day due to cholera because we have no good source of drinking water, we are dying in silence. Water is a major problem for us.”

Air, river, environment polluted – Chief James-Eriworio, community leader

The immediate past chairman of Nembe Oil and Gas Committee and a respected community leader, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, said apart from the land and water pollution, the air too has been polluted, which makes the people breathe in toxic air that affects the life span and life expectancy of locals in the communities.

He said: “The pains of being an oil- bearing community are much, from pollution of rivers and farm lands to communal crises, you can name them. For me, I think that the environment and health aspect is very disheartening. The multinationals and governments have failed in providing amenities to cushion the effects of the impact on the people. Specialist hospitals and potable water ought to be provided, but the people still depend on the polluted waters for their daily living, yet they produce the wealth used to feed other people.

“Before now, our environment and rivers were rich in sea foods, crayfish, lobsters and periwinkle; we do not toil before getting fishes unlike these days when it is difficult because of oil activities. Most of our sea foods have gone extinct. Low life expectancy and diseases are now common features of oil producing communities in the Niger Delta.”

Oil, an affliction- Peremabiri community CDS spokesperson

Community leader and spokesperson of Community Development Committee, CDC, Peremabiri in Southern Ijaw local government area, Mr. Kiente Rowland, said: “Since 1962 when they started exploring crude oil in massive quantity, the flow station which you see gas flaring now has been on since 1972. Our atmosphere is polluted, the environment is polluted but there is nothing like remediation ever since.”

He further asserted: “Oil activities have fuelled    communal crisis in my area, I remember that in 1995 when some compensation money was to be paid by the company,  the community leadership appropriated it the way they wanted, which caused communal crisis and since that date,    about 19 years now,    Peremabiri has not been the same. It has caused us a lot in terms of human and material losses, oil is the bane of Peremabiri community.”

N-Delta still in darkness – King Awululu

Olua 1 of Oluasiri clan, Nembe local government area, Bayelsa State, King Iyerite Chiefson Awululu, who also spoke to NDV on the development, said:  “The unprecedented effect of oil exploration, exploitation and  pollution is devastating, leaving the oil producing communities the worst victims in area of low agricultural harvest, buying   petrol, diesel   and kerosene produced in their soil at the highest cost in the country, and    also leaving the entire  Niger Delta in darkness without good drinking water and affordable medical care.

“Oil that was struck in 1956 at  Oloibiri  has brought little or no attention to the people of  Niger Delta. Pollution will be reduced to a minimum if government try to know the  boundaries between politics and governance and do the needful for the  region.”

1,000 oil spills from Jan to May alone

Meanwhile, Environmental  Rights Action and Friends of the Earth, ERA/FoEN and host communities have expressed concern at the  level of environmental degradation arising from lack of prompt clean-up  of oil spill sites in the Niger Delta region, blaming relevant agencies of weak oversight in enforcing regulations.

In a communiqué issued after a one- day workshop and advocacy meeting with community representatives and ERA/FoEN in Yenagoa, participants observed that available reports indicated that there had been over 1,000 oil spills in the first five months of 2016 in the region.

They said: “The government and the multinational companies have failed in the aspect of implementation of the remediation of the environment. Relevant agencies of the government like NOSDRA should be strengthened to act in their capacity. We, therefore, advocate the establishment of a cleanup and remediation fund of 100 billion USD to be set aside to commence clean-up of the Niger Delta.”

According to the communiqué signed by Alagoa Morris for ERA/FoEN, and Ayibakuro Warder, for host communities: “All ongoing sources of pollution should immediately be brought to an end. These include active bunkering activities which continue unabated in some parts of the region, as well as the practice by the Military Joint Task Force of setting tankers impounded with stolen petroleum products on fire. The latter is an emerging major source of air, soil and water pollution with immediate devastating health impacts.”