The people of Obololi Community in the Tarakiri clan of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa State are appealing for portable water and food to enable them to survive the current oil industry induced environmental degradation, after a crude oil spill from Shell facility that occurred across the creeks, polluting their rivers and sources of drinking water.
Environment watchdog, Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), which made the disclosure, said that it received information about the current oil spill in the early hours of Wednesday, February 19, 2025, from the Special Assistant to the Southern Ijaw local government area Chairman on Oil and Gas, Mr. Stephen Timifa Leghemo, after he led a team from the LGA to the community on the spill matter.
EDEN’s field monitoring team led by the Deputy Executive Director of EDEN, Alalgoa Morris, who mobilised to visit the spill site the same day, revealed that the spill was caused by equipment failure. According to the field report, even though booms were seen placed at two different points on the river, the crude oil had spread over 1.5 kilometres away from the actual spill point, including the entire stretch of the community.
EDEN observed that the banks of the river were heavily soiled by crude oil, including touching some crops. Water hyacinths on the river have all melted, owing to the impact of crude oil. Dead fishes were sighted too, and the volume of crude oil appears massive.
Speaking to EDEN team, the CDC Chairman of Obololi Community, Goodnews Vincent Okoi, revealed that the spill which occurred on Sunday, February 16, 2025, happened along the pipeline in the middle of the river, in a facility owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company [SPDC], which was duly reported to Shell surveillance personnel in the community.
“I called on the supervisor in charge, Tony Fresh, informing him that such a thing had occurred. Shell’s reaction so far has been to place boom on the river to prevent further spread of the crude oil. That has been the only thing Shell has done; nothing so far to ameliorate the negative impacts on the people of the community. We use our river for our daily activities, including fishing, cooking, bathing, everything. It is also through this river that we go to Egeibiri and come back (a means of communication).”
He called on the government to come to the aid of the people by providing potable water and also prevail on SPDC to provide relief materials for the people.
A middle-aged woman from the community, Florence Clarkson, lamented the effect of the spill on their livelihood, as decomposed fishes were already seen floating on the surface of the river.
She appealed to the government to help the people by providing water and food, to help them survive the aftermath of the spill. She also called on Shell to compensate the people for the suffering they have endured since the spill occurred.
As at the time of concluding this report, EDEN was reliably informed that the Southern Ijaw local government has reactivated an old borehole that was not functioning in the community, and water has been made available.
Executive Director of EDEN, Chima Williams, called on Shell to immediately conduct a Joint Investigation Visit to ascertain the level of damage and effect immediate cleanup and remediation of the community. He also called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and State Government agencies such as Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Mineral Resources to rise up to their role as pursuant of justice for the people.
Williams also called on National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send relief materials immediately to Obololi and any other affected/impacted communities.