The oil leak that occurred on October 3 at the Peremabiri community’s facilities in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa has been confirmed by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria.
The oil leak, which the locals believe was caused by equipment failure, severely harmed a number of farmlands, particularly those with economic trees, as well as the sea environment.
A Joint Investigative Visit to the incident site to determine the reason and amount of oil leaked is under progress, according to Mr. Michael Adande, a spokesperson for the SPDC, who told the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday.
After a spill is reported, the JIV, a statutory investigation made up of representatives of the operator, host community, and regulatory agencies, produces a report to show cause and degree of pollution.
According to Adande, “A government-led Joint Investigation Team is currently on a Joint Investigation Visit to the incident site to determine the cause and the impact of the incident.”
According to NAN, a leak at the SPDC-run Diebu Creek Flow station in Peremabiri spilled an undetermined amount of crude oil into neighboring regions.
In response, Mr. Alagoa Morris, Programme Manager for Environmental Right Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, claimed that the oil leak had contaminated the ecology.
He said that the largely farming and fishing towns along the banks of the River Nun have suffered as a result of the oil spill’s pollution.
Morris, who also serves as the governor of Bayelsa’s technical adviser on environmental matters, praised the victims’ calm demeanor.
He encouraged the regulatory bodies to make sure that the SPDC swiftly completes the necessary cleanup process in order to protect Peremabiri Community natives from hardships on the economic and health fronts.
A distressed farmer, Mrs. Yenimi Timipre, lamented having her fishing equipment ruined by oil and discolored.
Additionally, Mrs. Favour Morgan, the Peremabiri Community’s deputy woman leader, bemoaned how the spill had ruined their fishing nets, traps, and crops in addition to polluting the entire aquatic environment and pleaded for help.
“The Peremabiri people are in despair as a result of this oil catastrophe. Our livelihoods are farming and fishing, and the hazardous oil from Shell’s oil field has harmed those industries.
Farmers and fishermen desperately need assistance, Morgan added, and we are useless without it.