https://www.independent.ng/members-of-bayelsa-environmental-panel-shocked-by-extent-of-pollution/
Members Of Bayelsa Environmental Panel Shocked By Extent Of Pollution
By Igoniko Oduma
April 2, 2019
Yenagoa – Members of the Bayelsa State Commission of Inquiry on
Environmental Degradation have embarked on field trips to some
communities ravaged by massive oil spills from oil facilities operated
by some multinational oil companies in the state.
The communities visited were Egbebiri and Ikarama communities in Yenagoa
Local Government Area as well as Azuzuama community in Southern Ijaw
Local Government Area.
The tour of the three impacted communities signaled commencement of work
by the nine-member panel, which was inaugurated on Wednesday by Governor
Seriake Dickson.
Lamentations and shock marked the visit of the commission of inquiry
chaired by John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, United Kingdom, as it
held evidence sessions with representatives of no fewer than 35
communities, traditional rulers, environmentalists and civil society
organisations.
At Egbebiri, chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC),
Godspower Worikumo, told members of the commission that the last spill
caused by equipment failure occurred in the community in October 2018.
He said the manifold operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC)
spilled crude oil for about 11 days before it was identified by the oil
company.
“Our river, ponds and farmlands were destroyed by the spillage, which
lasted about 11 days before Agip responded. Since then, our community
has suffered terrible devastation and our means of livelihood affected
as a result of the spillage,” Worikumo said.
The commission members expressed shock at Egbebiri that an attempt to
clean up the spills resulted in further pollution as they saw a pit of
fire where crude excavated from the soil was being burnt and the smoke
spreading all over the community.
“This is shocking and totally unacceptable,” Archbishop Sentamu lamented
as he scooped raw crude from a pond with a plastic bucket.
At Ikarama, it was also lamentations as Benjamin Warder, an
environmental monitor for Amnesty International and youth president of
Ikarama, informed the commission that it took a minimum of 12 days for
the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to respond to the several
incidents of oil spills in the community.
“It takes the SPDC about 12 days to start evacuation of spills whenever
it occurs, leaving the community to suffer the effects,” he said.
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