Irate community youths have prevented Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) from assessing and conducting possible remediation at the Ibibio ell 1 in Akwa Ibom State. Besides, they are demanding a N5 billion compensation as a pre-condition.
Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday commenced moves to review present legislation governing the operations of oil companies to compel them to bear responsibility for oil spills and ecological degradation within their areas of operation.
Addressing journalists in Lagos yesterday, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, Production Director of the SPDC said sometime in August last year, representatives of the SPDC, the community, Federal Ministry of Environment and the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Environment conducted a joint visit to the spill site.
“The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) confirmed that there was a leak with a spill volume of less than one barrel, and that the leak was restricted to the cellar pit and SPDC right-of-way, but with a little quantity washed by rain into neighbouring third party farm land.
“Unfortunately, community youths interrupted the investigation process, protesting the volume spilled. On the 8th of September 2006, the SPDC�s Well Integrity Team attempted to arrest and contain the leak, but were violently resisted by the youths.
Several other attempts were made to access, clean up and/or remediate the impacted area, and were again resisted by the youths from the community.
Consequently, there has been no formal assessment,” he said.
Sunmonu explained that the company had also responded to the invitations by the Akwa Ibom State Government and House of Assembly and explained the difficulty in securing access to the spill site.
“At the invitation of the Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor, representatives of the company, the community and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) as well as the Federal and State Ministries of Environment held two separate meetings on the spill incident where delegates from the community insisted on payment of money and compensation before investigation into the cause and extent of the spill can be determined.
The demand has scuttled several attempts at a Joint Investigation Visit including a directive from the deputy governor.
The industry regulations stipulate that a spill must first be investigated, the site remediated before payment of money or compensation if at all. When the community finally agreed to grant access to the JIT, the actual visit to the site was postponed twice at the instance of the community.
The investigation visit would have taken place on October 31 and November 5, 2007 but on each occasion, the community asked that the exercise be postponed.
Senate to compel oil companies to clean spillages
The Senate resolution followed the strong condemnation of Shell, the multinational oil giant for what the it described as the company�s “dastardly act of neglect of the Ikot Ado Udo Oil spillage” in Akwa Ibom State three months ago.
The Senate�s condemnation of Shell came despite strong moves by some Senators including Senators Jubril Aminu (PDP, Adamawa Central) and Abubakar Dada (PDP, Sokoto East) to hear Shell�s defence on the issue before the appropriation of blame.
The motion arose from observations made by Senators during the recent Senate expedition to the Niger Delta creeks and was moved by the Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin.
According to him, observations from “one of the areas visited, specifically the Ibibio 1 Field in Ikot Ado Udo, Akwa Ibom State (showed) there was oil spillage which has not been attended to for the past three months.��
Noting that the “neglect of the oil spillage had led to consequent destruction of aquatic and marine life and the surrounding farm lands,�� S
enator Folarin thus moved for the condemnation of Shell and an appeal to the President to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Shell and other related agencies to clean up the spillage.
Senator Folarin also sought the Senate�s move for the legislative house�s Committees on Environment, Upstream Petroleum and Judiciary to review prevailing legislations with the intention that oil companies be compelled to bear responsibility for spillages, degradation and other ecological problems that arise within their operating areas.
Once he moved the motion, Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange (PDP, Bayelsa East) stood up to support the motion, saying the neglect of the oil spillage in Akwa Ibom was representative of what was happening across the country.
However, a move by Senate President David Mark to rush through the prayers of the motion was stemmed by Senator Aminu who said it was improper to condemn Shell without a defence from the oil corporation.
“No condemnation without investigation and I don�t believe that Shell would hear and not do something unless there is a problem of access to that site and in that case it would be a problem of Nigeria to resolve. You don�t condemn without investigation because I don�t believe that Shell as a responsible company would allow its oil to be spilling,” he said.
Senator Mark, however, quickly responded that what happened in Akwa Ibom deserved condemnation.
Several other Senators sided with the Senate President in asserting the culpability of Shell despite spirited efforts by some others who sided with Senator Aminu in seeking what they described as due process in bringing about a condemnation of the multinational.
Among those who spoke in support of a condemnation were Senators Effiong Bob (PDP, Akwa Ibom North-East), Patrick Osakwe (Accord, Delta North), Lee Maeba (PDP, Rivers), Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (PDP, Cross River South) and Joy Emodi (PDP, Anambra North).
Senator Ikechukwu Obiora (PDP, Anambra South) in pleading for the removal of a condemnation said the oil field was now in dispute between Shell and another company as a marginal field.
Following the debate, the Senate agreed that the condemnation be shared between Shell and other agencies of government that should have a role in the clean up.