Location: Ikarama Community, Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
Date of Visit: 6th May 2022
INTRODUCTION:
Follow up on crude oil spill impacted communities is very important, especially in a community like Ikarama, Okordia Clan in Bayelsa state where we have since 2007 reported several oil spills.
This field report is a narrative report arising from a very recent visit to the aforementioned community.
Linking the past to the present let us see a field report dated February 7, 2008, titled ‘’Months after, the oil spill at Shell Okordia Manifold Remains’’; we have as the introductory statement ‘’ While most of the spills occurring in the community were attributed to sabotage by Shell, a few of them were admittedly the result of equipment failure resulting in blowouts. The present one, the blowout at the manifold, is one such genuine case of equipment failure. Though the spill occurred seven months ago and rendered the whole manifold environment useless; no cleanup has been done till the date of this report’’… culled out from Page 168 of the book: Knee Deep In Crude, Environmental Field Reports published in 2009 by ERA/FoEN.
With spills like this left unattended for about seven months, it would not be out of place to expect crude oil percolation. Incidentally, in this case, Shell left the environment heavily laden with crude oil for over a year without cleanup as records available to ERA/FoEN indicate.
Photo: Crude oil oozing from the excavated pond, ERA took this photo in February 2008
For, ERA/FoEN led Friends of the Earth Netherlands photographer, Kadir to the environment in February 2008 and Amnesty International on 31st March 2008 to this environment impacted by a July 2007 oil spill.
TESTIMONIES:
According to Chief Mission Neberi, who represented the landowners in the Joint Investigation Team [JIT] in 2007 ‘’ The team discovered that it was a blowout from a faulty valve inside the manifold. The actual date of the incident was 22 July 2007, but before then there had been warning signs before the incident. Though the JIT started work on the 26th of July 2007, the team discovered that the valve was still leaking or dripping oil and this was stated in the JIT report. The document we signed indicated an estimated 50 barrels [of crude oil] leaked out. Shell later came and carried out recovery, scooping some of the oil, but the actual cleanup has not been done to date.’’
That statement was taken from the book and page mentioned above.
And in this equipment failure incident, Shell allegedly acted in ways that could be interpreted as trying to dodge responsibility. According to the field report cited above [ibid], from Chief Mission Neberi’s testimonies,
‘’ After signing the JIT report, that is, I, the representative of the Department of Petroleum Resources and Ministry of Environment, Shell refused to sign at the site. Shell initially insisted they would only sign later. But when they saw the stiff resistance from other members of the team, they signed their column. After they reluctantly signed, the other members of the team followed Shell up to Port Harcourt and picked up their copies. We, the community could not go for our copy immediately. When nothing was heard from Shell about the spill, as it relates to cleanup, remediation, and compensation, the community approached Shell to know how far; only for Shell to tell us that someone from our community had told them the spill was caused by sabotage. On hearing the above, we mounted pressure on SPDC to hand us our copy of the JIT report. At first, they tried to be very stubborn, but when we seized a vehicle belonging to one of them, they later released the document to us. We now have it with us and are ready to go any length with SPDC.’’
By this time, NOSDRA has not been formed as a regulatory body.
It is this same impacted environment that is the crux of the matter. ERA/FoEN had led national and international Journalists to this site, including Amnesty International between 2008 and 2009; even though the environment has repeatedly been impacted by the crude oil spills from the nearby Okordia Manifold and Trans-Niger Pipeline. Sadly, ERA/FoEN had also documented some of the spill impacted sites going up in flames within the community environment.
WHY SHELL SHOULD DO PROPER CLEANUP, AND REMEDIATION OF SPILL IMPACTED SITES IN IKARAMA:
Although the Nigeria Agip Oil Company [NOAC] also extracts crude oil wells in the Ikarama environment and gas pipelines, from which oil spills have occurred over the years, crude oil spewed from Shell’s Okordia Manifold, Adibawa/Okodia delivery line and Trans-Niger pipeline have impacted the immediate environment of the community more; especially as greater section of Agip’s pipelines is laid through neigbouring Kalaba/Ayamabele community environment. ERA/FoEN’s investigation revealed that not only are most spill sites allegedly set ablaze by agents of Shell but there has also been no proper cleanup and remediation of any spill impacted site in the immediate community environment by SPDC. What is often done is scooping/recovery of some quantities of spilled crude oil and that is all. Related actions are also delayed, and not prompt. It is also pertinent to note that recovery of spilled crude oil is not the same as cleanup and remediation. Therefore, there is a need for a holistic environmental audit of the immediate environment of Ikarama, followed up with proper cleanup and remediation. This would ensure some level of environmental justice as the impacted sites would eventually regain fecundity. Presently, the health and livelihood of the people of Ikarama are at stake; owing to the non-cleanup of spill impacted sites by Shell. This should also be of concern to the general public in terms of health as crops and fish from crude oil polluted sites put on sale at the market could have a multiplier effect when consumed by unsuspecting members of the public.
Benjamin Warder, Immediate past youth president of the community:
‘’ As I am talking to you now, it is a wasted effort in futility; nothing has come forth, and what about the money I have spent and the livelihood? My thought was that by investing here I will be able to get something tomorrow and cater to my family. And I am not the only one in this situation. There are farmers and fisherfolks who cannot make use of their farmlands and swamps anymore. This is Ekperikiri swamp. And there are other areas more impacted than this. So, the major call now is that Shell should come down and do proper cleanup and remediation; like they are doing in Ogoni land. The UNEP report recommendation should not be implemented only in Ogoniland but extended to other impacted Niger Delta communities like Ikarama community. That’s our major call and our major concern. Our people are impoverished, our people are down. As a youth, I don’t have a job. And if today I have sourced money and invested for myself, and I am seeing this; then what is my fate? That is why some youths in Niger Delta are carrying arms and going into illegal bunkering because there is no job. So, if somebody like me who has sourced for funds to invest and getting such disappointment; what do you expect me to do?’’
Referring to the joint visit by officials of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency [NOSDRA] Shell and ERA/FoEN to this environment on 31st August 2021, where five spots were cleared and dug, and crude oil was found in three spots; he said:
’In March last year [2021], I brought an excavator to prepare a fishpond for me. What I saw was quite unfortunate. I saw crude oil coming out from the ground. I raised alarm by informing the ERA/FoEN through Alagoa Morris. Thereafter NOSDRA, Shell, and ERA came and some spots in this environment were dug. And it was very glaring that crude oil was coming out from the ground. As a community person, I felt that since even the multinational oil company has come here to witness crude oil coming out from the ground, we expected them to come back for another related visit, because they promised to come back to carry out soil tests in the entire environment.
The thinking was that after the follow-up soil testing, the next line of action would take place, maybe proper remediation of the environment. But unfortunately, from August last year till now, nothing has been seen or heard about it from SPDC [Shell Petroleum Development Company]. That notwithstanding, I decided to try and invest again this year and brought an excavator on 26th April 2022. And you know the heavy cost of bringing a Swamp buggy down here from Yenagoa; it is expensive. And when we excavated the one you are seeing behind me, what we saw was even worse than the one of 2021.’’
Ziah Glitter, current youth president of the community, who also expressed himself, confirmed that some other impacted sites in the immediate community environment are having similar conditions, crude oil in the soil. He demanded that Shell should return to Ikarama and carry out proper cleanup and remediation.
Another community folk who is over 60 years of age, Mr. Dominion Ibator also lamented, saying the presence of crude oil in the environment is visible and its pungent smell permeates the environment when the heat of the sun is high. However, the unfortunate situation hasn’t prevented him from planting in the same environment. According to him, he had no option because the land is scarce, and he didn’t want to keep his surroundings bushy and untidy. During previous visits by ERA/FoEN; his environment was observed to be flooded with crude oil. And, according to him, no proper cleanup was done by Shell.
OBSERVATIONS/CONCLUSION:
Photo: One of the spill impacted sites that went up in flames in 2011
ERA/FoEN’s efforts at following up on this have to do with Environmental Justice; pursuant to Article 24 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, especially in the interest of the livelihood and health of the people. During the last two visits by ERA/FoEN [on 27th April and 6th May 2022], it was discovered that part of the environment that used to be bushy [between the current site of interest and Dominion Ibator’s house] has been cleared and farmed by landowners. Cassava and special cocoyam referred to as Amassi are the main crops seen growing. However, the fear and concern are, that these root crops might take in hydrocarbons from the crude oil polluted environment. Such a scenario poses grave danger to residents unless the environment is appropriately remediated. Within the previously impacted immediate environment of Mr. Dominion Ibator; he too has planted some sweet potatoes and other crops. The danger of harvesting from crude oil impacted and still polluted sites and consumption is better imagined than experiencing the negative impacts in the long run.
Photo: Part of the newly dug pond, May 2022
As indicated in ERA/FoEN’s field report concerning the Joint site visit with NOSDRA and Shell [on 31st August 2021]; already some community folks are coming down with illnesses believed to be cancer, including among young persons. This should be a major concern to stakeholders, including Shell and the public.
Photo: Dominion Ibator granting an interview to TVC
ERA/FOEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHIMA WILLIAMS DEMANDS:
[1] NOSDRA should rise to the occasion, to justify its place in the protection of our environment and as a regulator by prevailing on Shell to return to oil spill impacted sites and do PROPER remediation.
[2] The Bayelsa State Government, through the Ministry of Environment, should take all necessary legal steps on behalf of the Ikarama community to ensure all oil spills polluting the environment from Shell facilities are properly cleaned up and remediated, after a comprehensive environmental audit.
[3] The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Environment, takes adequate steps to ensure the UNEP-recommended standard cleanup and remediation ongoing in Ogoniland are extended to Ikarama and other communities in Bayelsa State and, by extension, other communities in the Niger Delta. NOSDRA had in 2014 pronounced Bayelsa State as “MOST POLLUTED” in the Niger Delta.
[4] Shell clears its mess by cleaning up legacy spill sites onshore before fleeing to continue offshore. Improperly cleaned spill sites in Ikarama showing crude oil in the ground remains a clear testimony that there is no hiding place for Shell. The environmental and ecological debts must be paid.
[5] All Stakeholders, including the media, environmental/human rights groups, etc play roles expected of them in the interest of environmental sustainability and justice.