Oil spill in Rivers: Over 50 incident happun for di state in two months - NOSDRA

Di National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency NOSDRA say dem record over 50 oil spills for Rivers state, south south Nigeria, between di month of June and July, 2019.

Zonal Head of NOSDRA Port Harcourt Office, Cyrus Nkangwung tell BBC Pidgin say dem record over 40 spills for June and over 17 spills for July. "Apart from two wey be operational errors, di rest na because of sabotage."

"Place like Emeagor Kugbor now my pipo dey dia, di area dey difficult to work as na swamp and e get plenti points wey dis spill dey happun because of bunkering activities for di same line.

"So you clean today, tomorrow anoda one go happun. Den along Imo river na anoda notorious part wia spill and illegal activities dey go on almost on daily basis, so all dis parts dey highly devastated." Na so Nkangwung tok.

Di NOSDRA oga add say even as dem dey try do Ogoni cleanup, dem still dey see new spills, so evri time dem dey do joint investigation visit for those places and e dey sad because e be like dem dey waste resources. Wen dem clean today, anoda impact go happun again tomorrow and e dey worry dem as all di money dem spend don go like dat.

Di oil spills dey increase or decrease?

Di NOSDRA Head say from dia statistics, e be like say dem get small drop for di spills as dem see over 40 for June and about 17 for July, di record still dey go on for August.

"Apart from say di Navy dey serious for di swamps to pursue dis pipo comot, rain sef get im own effect because as di rain dey fall, dem no go fit come out. Dem no fit put dia fire to cook so naim make di number fall from 40 to 17 between June and July.

How oil spill dey affect communities

Communities like Odau for Abua/Odual dey suffer di effects of oil spills as e dey affect fishing and farming activities.

Joseph Fubara Stanley wey be di Community Trust Chairman for Odau community say, for over four years, dem never farm or fish for di area wia oil spill happun.

"Dis spill wey dey now, happun early dis year around February time and na because of bunkers activities. Now Shell dey do recovery of di crude oil but di tin don spoil evriwia. No road to enta our community again as na tractor dem dey take work because of how di area dey. Sometin wey we dey pay N100 transport before, now we dey pay up to N500 to go home."

Stanley say na only goment naim fit stop di bunker activities wey dey go on as na dem get di power to stop di boys.

Nkangwung add say dem don dey work with National Orientation Agency to work with communities about dis mata but if community leaders fit tok to di boys to stop dis activities e go better cos as tins dey now, even if dem do di cleanup finish, di place no go dey completely clean sake of dis activities wey dey re-affect di area after dem clean finish.