We believe that the oil companies show less concern about the spillage, because the compensation they are made to pay after each occurrence is infinitesimal
The recent oil spillage from the Kolo Creek Manifold at Otuasega in Bayelsa State, leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It simply betrays our failings as a nation. The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Environment, Inuro Wills, was so piqued by the latest occurrence that he wondered why there are spills almost on a daily basis and with a predictable pattern in the area. We share that concern too.
Over the years, the different Nigerian governments have allowed the oil companies operating in the country, to dictate operational terms to them. This is absurd. The oil companies should operate by the country’s terms and not vice-versa. Nigeria is not the only country where oil is explored in the world and yet she parades a matchless record of oil spillage. We believe that the oil companies show less concern about the spills, because the compensation they are made to pay after each occurrence is infinitesimal. Stiffer measures should be introduced and this must start with the upward review of what they should pay to each affected community after a spill.
People of the Niger Delta, daily contend with the stiff reality of poisoned water and ruined vegetation. The oil discovery on their land, which should be a blessing has ironically turned into a nightmare. The reason is that there has been no determined effort by government and the oil operators to address the challenges associated with the industry. It is the same story line always. It is either vandals are tapping the oil, or the equipment is bad. One wonders why it is so cheap for saboteurs to have access to the pipelines. The authorities should look into the area of possible sabotage by the security agents manning the pipelines. But, more importantly, government should put the oil companies to task. The question of leaking pipes today, failed production operations tomorrow, should stop. When working tools are bad or pipelines are damaged, a quick repair must be carried out.
Again the Federal Government should properly regulate the oil industry and ensure strict compliance with whatever law is enacted to save Nigerians from this incessant spillage. The cost of oil spill is much. The ecosystem is destroyed, the forest is damaged and the soil and water are contaminated, thus rendering the environment uninhabitable for the people. This is unfair. People cannot farm, they have no access to potable water and even their fishing business is ruined. That is why we agree with The Environmental Rights Action, (ERA), and Friends of Earth Nigeria, FOEN, that Shell Petroleum Development Company, (SPDC), which owns the Kolo Creek Manifold, where the recent spill occurred, should have a CCTV to monitor movements around its facility. However, we go a step further by recommending such a measure to all the multinational oil companies in Nigeria.
