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By Kelechi Nwaucha
Against the backdrop of worsening environmental crisis in the Niger Delta, occasioned by decades of oil exploration activities, environmental rights groups have intensified calls for urgent remediation measures and environmental justice in the embattled region.
According to a United Nations report, life expectancy has dropped to 45 years in the region as a result of the hydrocarbons released into the water, air and soil pollution, with the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and other IOCs roundly accused by locals and NGOs of leading an “environmental assault” on the Niger Delta.
Thus taking an advantage of the World Press Freedom Day last Friday, leading non-governmental organization in region, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center, drew media attention to the harrowing cases of environmental injustice against communities and persons in Rivers State and the Niger Delta.
Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center, Dr. Emem Okon, stressed the threat to sustainable development in the Niger Delta, as well as the environmental crisis of air pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change that have continued to pose significant medical and environmental challenges for people and communities in the region.
She said the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, ‘A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of Environmental Crisis,’ offers Kebetkache and her allied organizations the opportunity to present the “environmental polution issues in Ibaa and Obelle communities in Emohua Local Government Area and Aminigboko community in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.”
Dr. Okon said the environmental issues in the three communities “have to do with pollution, the three cases also have to do with issues of the responsible corporations not wanting to discuss, consult and dialogue with the affected communities to address the impact of their activities on these communities.
“These are grievous human rights violations and environmental injustice issues, which is also contributing to climate change manifestations in those communities. The representatives of the three communities are here. Advocacy has been going on. In fact, as a result of the advocacy targeted at the Ibaa incident, the corporation involved had to go and try to destroy evidence in that community.”
In a release co-signed by January Igoma (Aminigboko Community), Hon. Henry Eferegbo (Obelle Community), Princewill Chukwure (Ibaa Community), Dr. Okon highlighted cases of pollution and degradation suffered by the three communities.
“In 2016, people in Chukwure family compound discovered that their hand dug well was filled with crude oil instead of water that it was producing until that fateful period. The case was reported to the Shell the corporation carrying out activities in the locality. The family has been worried and concerned over their fate living with such level of pollution.
“Part of the response by Shell to advocacy efforts to get justice for the family was that Shell sealed off the affected well. A visit to the site on May 2nd 2024 showed that some families still live with the pollution. The (Chukwure) family wants to be relocated to somewhere safe and secure and compensation paid for damages so far suffered by family members.”
Obelle community in Emuoha Local Government Area, Rivers State, she said, is one of the sites where Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) carries out its oil extraction activities.
“In 1998 the well-4 head operated by Shell erupted with gas fire, burning over thirty hectares expands of land in the community for about 3 months. After burning for some weeks, SPDC added some chemicals to control it. The chemicals were washed into the community’s aquifer, resulting to impacts on the people’s health and their source of livelihood.
“The only solution proffered by SPDC was to acquire these lands without alternative provision for farming. There was no compensation made to the community and the people have suffered untold hardship as a result of the insufficient land to carry out their farming activities and women are the worst hit in terms of displacement.”
Dr Okon further noted that cases of environmental pollution were also reported in Aminigboko community, where environmental impact assessment is also under contention by community members.
“The issues have been reported to the Dutch National Contact Point, who intervened and made recommendations. The company has outrightly refused to address the issues since 10th February 2023 when the recommendation was made.
“Kebetkache in 2022 had conducted an environmental and socio-economic assessnent in Ibaa community, and the key findings from the field revealed a widespread crude oil contamination in the seven groundwater and four soil samples covering a radius of about 6km.
“Based on the risk associated with undue exposure to crude oil contamination, the assessment recommended as an emergerncy measure that the impacted families and others within 150Om across the pipeline right of way be relocated to safe locations within the community, provision of safe drinking water for the community and the rectification of the cause of the leakage in addition to other long term remedies.”
Dr. Okon and the representatives of the three communities – Igoma (Aminigboko), Eferegbo (Obelle), Chukwure (Ibaa) – called on “the government, global community, SPDC, regulatory agencies and relevant stakeholders to take urgent action to address these issues.”
