Movement For Survival Of Ogoni People (MOSOP) on Wednesday cried out over a fresh oil spill in Ogoniland..
The spill, the Ogoni leadership organ noted, hit Bodo community, Gokana Local Government Area impacting residential areas with community dwellers asked to evacuate to mitigate the associated risks, including probable fire outbreak.
MOSOP President, Fegalo Nsuke, in preliminary appraisal of the situation narrated that, “Witness reports say the spills suddenly erupted within the residential area of the community, strongly suggesting equipment failure.”
Nsuke pointed fingers at “Shell for this spill and urges the company to take responsibility to put out the spills, alleviate its impact on the community, curtail its spread and commence proper remediation and compensation as expected and in accordance with global best practices.
“This massive spill is occurring 11 years after the UNEP released a damning report exposing Shell’s devastation of the Ogoni environment and on a day an unannounced stakeholders meeting with some chiefs in Port Harcourt is holding to cement a plot to reenter Ogoni oilfields despite overwhelming Ogoni objection, a divide and conquer strategy with potentials to spark off internal conflicts.
“We have communicated with community leaders to cooperate with investigations and ensure that every detail about this spill is communicated to our secretariat as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), however responded to Vanguard in anonymity that, “Owing to the level of theft, the SPDC JV-owned Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) has not been carrying crude oil since mid-June.”
Vanguard further gathered that Shell, owner of the TNP had equally warned other marginal operators piping through that line to desist as a result of theft, prompting new entrant, Heirs Oil and Gas to consider trucking.
Another operator’s representative confirmed that a leak had been report on the TNP in Bodo axis, but prompt intervention has been hampered by alleged refusal of the community to allow a Joint Investigation Visit to the affected to spill spot to ascertain the cause and effect on the spill.
Vanguard
