A non-governmental organization, Akwa Ibom Oil Producing Community Development Network (AKIPCON), has faulted a Joint Investigation(JIV) report of National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in Akwa Ibom in respect of the November 6, 2020 oil spill in the state.
The recent spillage committed by the oil giant, ExxonMobil, occurred in one of the oil company’s onshore facilities in the Atlantic Ocean.
The position of AKIPCON was contained In a release jointly signed by the President General Dr. Ufot Phenson and Evangelist Emmanuel Bassey – Secretary General of AKIPCON made available to our correspondent in Uyo on Thursday.
The statement explained that the JIV report failed to comply with the agency’s established template in determining the estimated quantity of crude oil spilled, identify in specific terms the locations and extent of the spill, cause of the spill and impact of the spill on the people’s means of livelihood.
The spill AKIPCON noted affected many fishing setrlements and communities and adjoining coastal Local Government Areas in the state as well as Atlantic Ocean shorelines in Ibeno Local Government Area spanning several kilometers with attendant damage to the environment, including the biodiversity, water resources, fishery resources, socio-economic losses with human rights implications.
“AKIPCON observed with total dismay and disappointment the manner in
which National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in Akwa Ibom has not carried out its core mandates of remediation and damage assessment for the purpose of ensuring sustainable environment and payment of compensation to oil spills victims in oil producing communities in the State by oil companies.
“This unfortunate development is one of the major factors responsible for the denials of the peasant fishermen and farmers in the oil producing communities of their rights for payment of compensation to alleviate their sufferings.
“NOSDRA, according to its Establishment Act of 2011 is vested with the statutory responsibility of co-ordinating the management of oil spill incident with respect to clean-up, remediation and damage assessment.
“The Agency in Akwa Ibom State which is supposed to restore and preserve the environment by ensuring best oil field, storage and transmission practices in exploration, production and use of oil to achieve sustainable development and peace in oil producing areas of the State in particular and Niger Delta in general, is focusing on only one aspect of their job being oil spill detection leaving other important aspects of their mandate to suffer.” It explaiend.
The statement frowned at the failure of NOSDRA and other Regulatory Agencies to initiate remediation and damage assessment for the purpose of ensuring sustainable environment and payment of compensation to the oil spill victims by oil companies, described damage assessment as a necessary process for gathering information on the extent of damage to the environment, economic trees, crops, socio-economic losses, fishery resources, and so on.
The organization also oobserved that NOSDRA did not carry out damage assessment which provides necessary information on the extent of spill damage to the environment.
“AKIPCON demands that NOSDRA carry out mandatory damage assessment in this case, without delay, otherwise, AKIPCON members in the 31 Local Government Areas of the State will embark on mass protest in Uyo, Ibeno, Eket and other oil producing communities of the State to compel NOSDRA to carry out their statutory responsibility of remediation and damage assessment occasioned by the recent Exxon Mobil oil spill.
“The protest is to also press on the oil companies to pay compensation to the victims of oil spills, gas flaring and other forms of hydrocarbon pollution suffered by the indigenes of Akwa Ibom State.” The statement concluded.
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